Cowboy Tony Rides Again
by scousemuz1k
Summary: Sequel to 'Weekends With Doris', takes place after 'Family' in season 5. Heartbroken and wrestling with guilt, Tony heads for the hills. He and Doris stumble upon a plot that threatens a whole town and their friends. Can the team help?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: In the Spring of 2011 I was walking with the family in the oddly named Wet Sleddale, (pronounced 'sleddle' locally) near where they live in Cumbria. It must be an extraordinarily wet place to have it mentioned in the name, since the whole of Cumbria qualifies!**

**There's a dam there, not a huge one, but substantial enough, and if you've ever seen the odd, cult British film 'Withnail and I', yes, it's that dam. Imogen asked what would happen if the dam broke, and her dad said that it was a good job that Shap, the small town/large village nearby was on higher ground, because it was only a little dam but there was enough water in it to flatten the place. And from that was born an idea that's dogged me ever since.**

**Trouble is, do I know anything about dams? Nope. Hydrodynamics? Uh-uh. Is that going to stop me? When's ignorance ever stopped me before? I promise to do the best research I can... but hey, I want to write my story. Takes place after 'Family'. Title chosen by Di.**

Cowboy Tony Rides Again

by scousemuz1k

In the end, he'd quietly bought Doris, although he hadn't told the team, and he hadn't moved her closer to DC.

"You don't have to buy her, Tony," Sally had protested, "she's yours anyway," but he did. It was unfair to expect the Frames to keep one of their best saddle horses for his exclusive use when he'd been getting down to see her, and them, so infrequently. So he'd bought her, and when he wasn't around, which was far too much, she worked with the NARH which met regularly at the equestrian centre, patiently and carefully looking after young disabled riders. "She's brilliant," Sally said, "But she's never happier than when you're here, Tony."

"And if I'd known how this year was going to go," he told the big brown mare ruefully, "I'd just have stayed up here in the hills with you anyway."

She waggled an ear at him reassuringly, and went on cropping the lush summer grass, as he leaned against a comfortable tree. Twilight had given way to clear moonlight, and he'd called Sally to let her and Amos know he'd be staying up here all night. She'd sighed, and shaken her head.

"_He's got something on his mind again," she told Amos. "Why he can't just sit here by the range and talk to us I don't know."_

"_He did last time, Sass."_

"In the end! After he'd fallen down a hole, dragged his boss half way up a mountain for what I was sure was a fight, and Lord knows what else!"

"_I thought you didn't **mind** being a coping mechanism, love."_

"_Did I say that? Huh... yes, I did. I don't... but he's... he doesn't look angry, or stressed the way he's not **stopped** looking since we first knew him... he looks... he looks **heartbroken**, Mos..."_

_He rose from his seat at the kitchen table, and draped his arm round her shoulders. "He'll tell us soon enough, hon. And if he doesn't, we'll ask him." He ran a finger down the bookings ledger. "Two parties tomorrow, a four and a seven. I'll go and check saddles." He kissed her and went out into the yard. Sally looked up at the moon through the kitchen window, and sighed again._

Tony banged his head back against the tree. It wasn't his favourite oak at Belinda's Secret; he wasn't spoiling that place by taking the way he felt right now out there. "See, this time... this time it's all my own damn fault. Which this time am I talking about? The lying to my team or the breaking a girl's heart? Aren't I the lucky one to have a few to choose from?"

He pulled a blade of grass and chewed thoughtfully on the end; Doris would have told him that wasn't the right way to eat it, but her mouth was full.

"OK, I can see you're really interested... see I was in love once before; and she left me the day before the wedding. I never did know why, although she said it wasn't anything I'd done... who knows? That was then..._ this_ time it was all down to me. Oh, yeah. I told her I loved her, different her, OK? - and I do, Doris, that's the truth, but she'd found out everything else was a lie, so why should she have believed that? I can't believe her father did that to her either... he knew who I was, freak knows how long ago Kort blew my cover... but he never _told_ Jeanne... I don't know if he's even told her _now_ that he already knew – I bet not... he played his own daughter like a fish, I have no idea why... but he's not the one she's mad at. Course not, he's _Dad_. _Papa._ I'm just the lying Fed who pretended to be someone else... I went to the hospital to try to talk to her; she'd gone, no-one had seen her... Nurse Carly was crying and wanting to know if I'd done something to hurt her, what could I say..."

He hunched himself up in a ball, and ran his fingers through his hair. He wished... he should have said no... his instincts had screamed that this wasn't for God and Country, that it wasn't actually anything like what the Director said it was, or why would she have ordered him not to tell Gibbs when he returned? Her absolute lack of concern for his feelings as she debriefed him in her office had told him all his misgivings were right; and it hadn't been long before another SFA had filled him in on her attitude in the bull pen after Ducky had given his good news.

"_I tell you, it honestly chilled my blood, Tony," _Joe Patterson had said. _"Everyone was listening all around the room; when Ducky said the body wasn't you, we'd have all got up and cheered if the Director hadn't been there. All she said was that this could lead us to the Frog... Gibbs said 'and DiNozzo', and she was so goddam' off-hand...'oh well of course DiNozzo is our first priority' – she might as well have just shut up as made it so clear she didn't give a shit. I tell you, Tony, none of us __**ever**__ want to work for her!"_

"_You hang on to that thought, Joe... it could save your life one day."_

"_Sure... Hey... you all right, DiNozzo? Anything we can do? Take you out, get you drunk?"_

Tony had laughed sadly. _"I'd say that's a really kind idea, but I'm deep enough in Gibbs' bad books as it is... but hey, thanks..." _

"Gibbs bad books... just Gibbs? Tell you what, gal, let's start with Abby..." Doris gave him her usual patient look.

Tim had said something to her about Tony and lies, so Abby was mad at him for upsetting McGeek, and told him he should apologise. He settled for the old superglue trick and starting a war, which of course gave Tim the chance to let off steam by asking just about the most insensitive question he could come up with, to get a snarky answer back, which upped the stakes so he 'forgot' to tell him about the sprinklers...

Ziva offered her advice. Whether he wanted it or not. Which he thought he'd made it pretty clear he didn't. 'You did not think this through'. _Ziva, I've spent the last six months thinking of nothing else! _So he'd snapped, and ended up having to apologise to her! For the sake of peace in the team, he'd done it perfectly; 'I know you were _trying_ to help', hoping the wording would make her leave it – and then she wanted it with chocolate sauce on. 'And did I?'

If he hadn't been plotting the next move in the superglue war he'd probably have screamed; but he _was _the best undercover operative in the whole of NCIS, and his face never cracked.

"She corners me in the gents, lists all the things I've done wrong, and then she wants me to tell her it helped." He sighed, and Doris lifted her head and huffed back. "So, I've got both the girls, three if you count the Director, on my case, and there's nothing I can do, because it's all my own fault in the first place. McGee... now that's odd, because in the middle of the glue war, he sees I'm having a seriously hard time phoning Heidi's previous victims, and he asks Gibbs to let me stop. He thinks I can't hear him, bless... but my ears are nearly as good as yours, even if I can't flick them."

Doris took a few supportive paces closer to him, before returning to her moonlight feast.

"Gibbs didn't bother to keep _his_ voice down... he just gave that thin – OK, mean – smile he does... the same one he gave McGee when he left the top on the acetone... and told him I could do a few more. The Pr – Tim had pointed out that we already had enough information..." He sighed from his boots. "I thought after his trek up here that the Boss and I understood each other... he should know he doesn't _need_ to punish me for this... but truth is, I think I have to just accept that deep down underneath he cares, but he ain't going to change the top layers... how he does things... for anyone. I mean, I thought he was supporting me, being there in Jenny's office... looking back, I think it was more re-establishing just who _owns_ me to _her_..."

He stood up so suddenly that Doris took an edgy step back and he had to pat her neck and reassure her.

"Sorry, gal... sshh... see, in the end, the only thing that matters is that I've no right to be complaining. Which is why you're the only one I complain to! I brought it on myself... I could have said no, or let Gibbs know what was going on... or told Jeanne... but they don't see that that's the _real_ crunch, Doris. I broke a wonderful girl's heart, and I love her and I've _lost_ her, and what they think of me's nothing to what she must be thinking. And the guilt's drowning me."

Once again, it had been Tim who'd helped. Gibbs and Ziva seemed to imply that right, the letter had been burned, now they could all get back to normal. The Boss had called an early finish; McGee had hung back in the parking garage.

"Too soon to say come for a drink, isn't it."

"Yeah, just a bit... but, um... thanks."

"Well... you know where I live." His voice had tailed off, then suddenly became very positive. "But right now, I think you ought to go and see Doris... hey, you can get there easily before dark... I'll make some excuse for you in the morning."

Tony had found the grubby concrete floor suddenly interesting. He finally looked up. "Appreciate that, McGee..." He'd fled to his car as his voice packed in on him, and not even bothered to go home for a change of clothes.

Now he shook out a couple of blankets from his saddle roll; they were full sized Navajo woven ones, not the pair of narrower serapes he'd been expecting. Sally... always looking out for him. He put one over Doris's back, and shrugged the other one round his shoulders. "Gonna see if I can catch some zees, darlin'," he told her. "Doubt it somehow, but hey... you could try it yourself... unless you want to see how much of the vegetation you can demolish before dawn."

She butted him gently, and he fished out the hoped for treat. She took the apple delicately, and Tony left her crunching as he sat down again and wrapped the blanket round him. Cowboy Tony and his faithful steed, sleeping out under the stars... He glanced at his watch – half-past one. He'd been talking to Doris for longer than he'd thought. He leaned against the tree, watched the stars, and tried, with no success at all, to empty his mind.

Of course he was assaulted by pictures he didn't want to see... the fireball of his car – and no-one had spared so much as a thought for the man he knew only as Henri – the man incinerated instead of him and Jeanne... _he_ had, but what good did it do? He silently apologised to the big bodyguard's shade. That at least couldn't be laid at his door, but he was still sorry.

Jeanne's beautiful, confused, angry face... _'Who are you? Who?' _The anxious Rene pacing in the background, afraid of being so out in the open and exposed...The relief on the team's faces, that instantly morphed into accusation... guess he'd better hang on to the relief bit...

He wondered, as the night wore on, and for lack of anything better to wonder about, why he'd used that word 'drowning', and decided it must be because of where he was. There was a dam nearby, a small construction, that held in the waters of one of four interlinked reservoirs. According to Amos, they'd been built a long time ago, and Tony had planned to take a look once the daylight returned, and he could read his map. In any case, moonlight or not, he'd no intention of taking himself or Doris blundering into a cold lake in the middle of the night. He wondered about getting up from where he was and taking a walk to see if he could find it, but even the thought of a full moon on still water wasn't enough to make him want to stir his leaden, miserable limbs... Get a grip, DiNozzo, it's your own fault. Suck it up...

There was moisture on his cheeks and he swiped it away furiously. He didn't do the whole crying thing. DiNozzos didn't... DiNozzos didn't rush headlong, open eyed into certain disaster. The telepathic Doris moved closer again, and he rubbed her brown, Morgan nose. She snuffled sympathetically – or at least he thought so – and then, suddenly, her head reared up, and she gave that unmistakeable snort of warning he was familiar with. It was so fierce it made him reach for his gun as he leapt to his feet; but then he didn't draw the weapon, as his own ears picked up the sound that had spooked her. A truck engine... being gunned in low gear as it climbed a steep hill.

Tony shook his head angrily; his first two thoughts were equally illogical. Gibbs... what did he want now? _No,_ DiNozzo, not everything's about you.

Amos had some urgent need of him. No to that too... it wasn't Amos's truck, and anyway, thanks to an eyesore of a communications tower only five miles away, cell reception was fine. He still checked.

OK, he was curious. Nobody knew he was up here, and that was how he wanted it to stay, but if someone else was, he wanted to know who, where and why. He unhitched Doris's reins from her neck and dropped them on the ground; her signal to stay where she was. Either he had a good imagination, or she looked put out. Tony patted her apologetically. "Be right back." He pulled his hat down low to shade his face, not wanting a sudden pale flash of skin in the moonlight to give his presence away, and set off carefully through the trees. Cowboy Tony stalks the outlaws...

The truck engine died, quite close by, and there was the sound of doors slamming. Three. What were three people doing up here? If they were poachers, he'd get the number of the truck then make himself scarce; it'd be kind of ignominious to get himself peppered with buckshot. There were voices, making no attempt at quietness; he couldn't make out the words, but his original estimate had been right – three different males. He turned his bandana round and pulled it up over his nose, even more determined to remain unseen as he crept closer.

At the edge of the trees he stopped; the lake lay before him under the moon, and even in the mood he was in, the view still brought him up short, but then his attention turned to the dam, about a hundred yards away. The truck he'd heard was stopped at the near end of the dam head, and out along the top of it, he could see three flashlights bobbing. They seemed to be pointing down the dam wall.

Since none of them were pointing in his direction, and since the figures wielding them were almost invisible to him, so he must be to them, he decided it was safe to get a bit closer. Safe? Why had he decided these guys were up to no good? He dodged from one low bush to another, until he was crouched not twenty feet from the dark GMC, and he memorised the licence plate, as he strained his ears to hear what the men were saying.

"...Wasting time... strongest... target the lower..."

"Crazy... other way... weakness..."

The third voice was clearer, as the men came back towards their vehicle. "Whatever... we're not going to rush this. We know the outcome we need; now what we want's a foolproof way of getting it.

"And not getting caught," the second voice said.

"Don't worry about that," the first voice he'd heard said impatiently. "The whole system's old and weak, Lesniak's right... we just got to make sure no-one listens to her, until it's too late, then she can be as right as she likes."

The second voice wasn't placated. "That's getting harder, now Townley's taking an interest. You said don't rush, Brew, but the tide'll turn against us. We should move soon."

Tony drew a silent but sharp breath. Townley... come on, it wasn't such an unusual name... but how many Townleys did he know in this area? _Had_ Simon and his son decided to settle round here? He'd known they were thinking about it, but their half- formed friendship had been yet another casualty of working twenty-four seven ever since Jenny had said _'There's a girl I want you to meet...'_

As he leaned forwards, intently trying to hear more, he put his hand on a nettle, and drew it back with a sharp hiss. The bush he was concealed behind moved slightly.

"What the hell was that?" It was voice number two, the nervous one.

Tony's first instinct was to draw his Sig, but he was nothing if not good at thinking on his feet... or in this case his belly. He rolled silently away, and as he came up behind another bush, further off, he hissed again and moved that a little too.

"Aah... just a fox." Voice one again, the one called 'Brew'. "Jumpy tonight, aren't you? C'me on, let's go." Tony lay still in a pool of shadow while the truck started up, reversed, and set off back down the hill, then he got up slowly, and walked out along the dam, rubbing his stinging hand.

The moon was behind him, and the face of the dam, a drop of maybe sixty or eighty feet sank away into shadow below him. It was impossible to tell what the men had been looking for, but the words 'waste of time' hung in Tony's mind. It didn't seem as if they'd actually done anything, but if their intention was good, he was the Lone Ranger. At which point he felt ridiculous, and pulled his bandana mask back down as he walked back to Doris. Never assume... he'd wait until morning and take another look.

He'd also find out if Townley was Simon – or confirm it, because somehow he already knew. There was something going on here... and who the hell was Lesniak?

**AN: WIP again... it's the only way this bone-idle tale-teller can get herself moving.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thanks to Gail Cregg for her encouragement on the subject of credibility... This is the chapter where you can all say 'that's rubbish, she doesn't know anything...' well, I told YOU that.**

**Please just go with the flow... (literally – it's water we're talking about) and thanks to ytteb for her hydrodynamic encouragement.**

**Thanks also to the incredible number of people who faved or alerted – and all the lovely kind reviewers. Action next chapter...**

Cowboy Tony Rides Again

Chapter 2

He must have slept, because that was pale daylight creeping under the flat brim of his hat. (It was one Amos had given him; more Clint Eastwood than Roy Rogers, he was happy to say.) Doris stood nearby dozing, the blanket still over her back.

"Ow..." Tony stood up slowly, joints cracking a little after his night spent leaning against the tree, and the Morgan mare snuffled a sleepy greeting. He realised he needed a pee, and even though he thought it was crazy, he went round the other side of the tree rather than relieve himself in front of a lady. "You're losing it, DiNozzo... and," sniff, "boy, you could use a shower and a change of clothes."

Well, first things first; he'd stayed up here because he wanted to make sure his assumption was right; he'd thought the night visitors hadn't actually done anything to the dam, but he needed to make sure. Almost six am; he found a couple of sugar lumps for Doris, saddled up, then led her among the trees to the lakeside. He figured she wouldn't be grumpy if she could at least keep an eye on him.

She waited with her usual patience as he set out along the dam, just as he had in the darkness; he was able to take more notice of its construction now he could see it. At each end there was a sluice controlled by a gate that raised from above; he crossed the first one by a bridge, and walked to the other side. The water level of the lake was high enough that if the gates were raised the water would go cascading down the spillways; he'd like to come back some time and watch that. He could see no signs of tampering, at least nothing obvious to his untrained eyes; the mechanism of the sluices seemed fine as far as he could tell. Leaning over the parapet at regular intervals as he made his way back, he stared down the face. He couldn't see any cracks, or dynamite, or... heck, anything his imagination could conjure up. He didn't know why he thought he might; just a _baaad_ feeling.

At the side of the right-hand spillway, about half-way down, there was a concrete outcrop, with a hump of pipe topped by a large valve release wheel, reached by a precarious staircase. Tony grimaced, climbed over the gate with its obligatory warning notice, then made his way carefully down. Thirty-two steps. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with the valve either, so he counted the steps as he climbed back to the top, taking care not to look behind him. Doris gave him a dirty look as he reached the top. _You're a human, not a mountain goat... _"Sorry, sweetheart... won't do it again. Let's go get you some breakfast."

His phone vibrated against his hip-bone, and he pulled it out warily. McGee.

"You're up Mcearly, Probie!" Oops... well, he couldn't_ never_ use the name again, could he?

"Couldn't sleep. Stark fear of telling Gibbs you're going to be late."

"Hey, it was your idea!"

"Joking, Tony. Mostly. I er... called to... I was expecting voice-mail... I didn't think you'd – are you OK?" The last words came out in a rush.

"I will be... fine... I..."

"Did you go see Doris?"

"She's right here."

"It's six in the morning!"

"Yeah, well, I'm up early too. On top of a mountain." Tim didn't ask. An idea struck the SFA that he should have had last night. "Hey, listen, where are you?"

"Just walking out to my car."

"Can you do something for me when you get to the Yard? If you're going in early..."

"Tell me."

Tony gave him the plate of the truck he'd seen last night. "Can you see what you can find? Owner, associates, a guy I heard called 'Brew'... you know the stuff... and anything you can about the Appelt Four Dams area. Oh, and someone called Lesniak. Lez-nee-ack. That's how I heard it said. A woman."

"Dare one ask why?" Tim's voice was a very reasonable take-off of Ducky, and Tony actually laughed.

"Found myself a little mystery, could be nothing; I'll tell you as soon as I get in today." He gave Tim the briefest of sitreps. "Just a feeling... There are a couple of people I need to talk to before I head back, if I can find them; you can sweeten things with Gibbs if you like – tell him one of them's Simon Townley. Former marine, remember?"

"I remember. What are you up to, DiNozzo?"

"Nothing... yet. Uh-oh, gotta go!" He shut his phone off as Doris huffed and looked down the hill; a truck was approaching at speed, for all that the climb was steep. Tony uncovered his gun, although he could see it wasn't the same vehicle he'd already encountered. It rocked to an angry halt, making Doris's head jerk up defensively, and sending the mare skittering backwards, and a small, slightly built woman jumped out from the driver's door. A man in his late fifties got more slowly out from the other side. The woman strode towards him. She was maybe thirty years old, with longish, curling chestnut hair caught up in a large comb at the back of her head, and her eyes were grey and stormy.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Tony blinked. He walked deliberately to his horse and ostentatiously soothed her, which stopped the woman in her tracks momentarily; nobody upset Doris without him at least sending them on a guilt trip... He gestured with his phone before dropping it back into his pocket. "Well, I was just talking to a friend, and now I'm planning to go for breakfast and a shower."

"You know what I mean! You were looking at the sluices, then you went down the face! That's trespassing – and why the hell were you looking at the PHV?" She pointed to where a camera in a heavily rubberised case hung below the furthest corner of the bridge he'd just come back across. "We watched you. What were you doing? Who are you?"

The logo on the door of the truck had already given him a clue to who the angry woman was, so he answered soothingly. "Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, NCIS, Ma'am." He handed his badge over for her to inspect. "You're from the Four Dams Administration."

She handed his badge back slowly, only somewhat mollified, and a slight frown crossed her face, as if she were trying to recall something. "Mary Lesniak," she said. "Senior Engineer In Charge. Ty Frodsham, my deputy. Us two and two others – we _are_ the Four Dams Administration. What _were_ you doing?"

"PHV..." Tony pointed down the dam face to the valve. "That's that thing, right?"

"Pipeline Head Valve," the engineer told him. "Why?"

Tony outlined briefly the night's events, and his own unease. He left out the name that he'd heard, and the fact that he got the truck's number. Instinct said these two were on the side of the good, but again, it didn't pay to assume.

"Damn," Mary Lesniak said when he paused for breath. "Ross thought he saw something last night, lights, shadows, but the camera... it's tough, but not so good on definition, especially at night. Budget restraints... you said they said something about acting soon? Figures..."

"You've been expecting it? I mean, d'you always have someone on night watch?"

The engineer frowned thoughtfully. "There's a lot I could tell you...We've a lot to talk about. Look, can you come down to our offices? At the Old Dam?" She smiled in an attempt to make peace. "After you and your horse have had breakfast?"

Her deputy hadn't said a word so far; at first he'd stood bristling like a western old-timer. Tony had imagined him with narrowed eyes, brandishing a shotgun and saying _'you a stranger in these parts?'_... Like his boss, he'd gradually relaxed, and now he said "Maybe Simon'd like to hear this too."

"Simon?" He hadn't got quite as far as telling them about the Townley remark, when the engineer had complained about her camera. Something made him ask, "Simon Townley?"

The small woman looked at him, and remembered what she'd been trying to before. "_Anthony DiNozzo!_ You're Tony! Simon's friend!"

Tony looked sad. "I would be if the job gave me the time..."

"Young Adam talks about you." There was something instantly softer about the fierce little engineer as she mentioned the young Townley lad. "Hell, yes, Simon _will_ want to be involved. Look, please..."

Tony patted Doris's nose. "I'll come down," he said agreeably. "After I fix Doris's breakfast and my captivating slept-in-my-clothes aura."

Mary Lesniak seriously grinned for the first time, thanked him, and patted the mare's neck. "Sorry, Doris," she mumbled apologetically, and the two returned to their truck. Tony swung up into his saddle and headed back to the Trail Riding Centre.

NCISNCISNCIS

The elevator pinged and Tim braced himself as he looked up. It wasn't Gibbs, it was Ziva, and he braced himself anyway.

"Where is Tony?" she asked without preamble, and with some irritation.

"He's down at Duet," McGee told her pleasantly. "He went to see Doris."

"Oh. I went to his apartment... I was going to take him out for a drink and a talk about things."

Tim put his pen down. "If he wanted to talk, he would, Ziva. He doesn't, and no amount of pushing is going to make him. He needs us all to give him some space... that's why I suggested he should go down to the Frames' place."

Ziva sighed, sat down, opened a drawer of her desk and closed it with a bang. Tim went on with his digging. A few minutes later, his cell buzzed.

"Hi, Tony. You have? I found her too... oh, you've _met_ her? Well I'll send you what I've got on her, nothing but good actually... yeah, I've got some other stuff too... the truck, Brewster Eisley... I'll have more soon. To Amos's PC? Sure... got that... No, wait wait wait... Tony, what are you going to do? No... what I'm really asking is do you need any help? You did saysabotage earlier on...Tony, I'll tell Gibbs. No, I know it's not our jurisdiction, but I'm still going to tell him. Sure. Sending now."

"Tell Gibbs what?" The man himself strode into the bull pen, coffee in hand. "What's not our jurisdiction?"

Tim realised he'd stopped bracing himself, and did it all over again. "Tony seems to have come across some trouble brewing, Boss..."

NCISNCISNCIS

"Hey, McGee... I found Lesniak. No, found her. Her name's Mary. Yeah, do that. I thought so too... anything else? Brewster Eisley, huh? Got to be a dirtbag with a name like that. Great... send it to Amos? Sassmoss at yahoo... " he spelled it, "OK, thanks, McFerret, I owe you. See you - what? Do? I'm going to take a shower. I smell like Doris, only it suits her. Yes, I did say sabotage, but help? It's not our jurisdiction. If you want, McCautious. D'you have the rest of the stuff? OK, thanks."

Amos watched as the information came through, and Tony scanned the screen rapidly. "Easier to read than my phone," he said cheerfully as he loaded it onto a USB.

Both Frames regarded him dubiously.

"How the heck d'you manage it, DiNozzo?" Amos asked testily. "How d'you manage to find trouble in the most harmless places?"

"I don't..." he was wasting his breath protesting.

"Last time you did something like this, Tony, you ended up in bits.," Sally said, every bit as crossly as her husband.

Tony smiled apologetically. "I'm only going to talk to some folks about a dam, guys." He sighed. "Look... what else can I do? And anyway, I need to keep myself occupied right now." Sally gave him a very rude stare. "OK... I promise to come and 'sit by the range', as you'd say, when it's all done."

Amos snorted. "Go get your shower, and get gone. And keep in touch."

NCISNCISNCIS

The first thing Tony noticed as he arrived in the parking lot of the FDA was the fact that the offices were _below_ the dam. Tempting fate or what? Mind you, the whole township of Appelt lay in the valley below the great earth bank, so what did he expect?

The second thing was the silver Denali he recognised as Simon's vehicle.

The third thing was a tow-headed lad sitting on the steps of the building, in the sunshine, with a book beside him, a laptop on his knees, a cast on his ankle, and a pair of crutches on the ground beside him. With the agility of the young and carefree he managed to put the laptop down, grab one crutch and jump to his feet before the agent had locked his car. He yelled "Tony!" and hoppityskipped across the tarmac to greet him. As he reached him, he threw his crutch down, and flung both arms round the big man. Tony noticed he was a good half a head taller than last time they'd met. He returned the hug, and picked the crutch up for the youngster.

"Hey, Adam... this is new, buddy!"

The boy gave him a huge, irreverent smile. "I thought I should maybe not spend all my time reading... I tried playing soccer – this is the result. Sport's bad for your health, Tony!"

"Ha. Did you kick the goal post instead of the ball? Or the central defender?"

"I _was_ the central defender. I got sat on. Yesterday. I can only milk it for so long though, got to go back to school tomorrow. Come on, Dad's inside, with Mary."

If Tony had had ears like Doris, they'd have twitched... hey, they'd have revolved. A year, or not quite, had made a huge difference – Adam wasn't a lost little boy any more... and... Mary liked Adam, Adam liked Mary. Where did Simon come into all this? A burgeoning romance? Stoppit, don't think about it. Jeanne... he shook himself mentally, and a moment later was warmly shaking hands with the former Marine. A few minutes after that, they were seated round a table, himself, Mary, Simon,, Ty Frodsham, and a suntanned young man introduced as Joel Hawks. Ross Macklin, the fourth member of the team, was at home asleep, having kept the night watch.

When the mugs of coffee and tea had been handed out, Tony brought out his USB. "This is what McGee's found out for me up to now, he's still looking," he said. "But fill me in on the story so far."

Ty chuckled. "D'you mind going back to 1861? A guy called Willi Appelt likes the valley so much he starts farming here. Soon there's a settlement. They need water, and they look at the topography, and what the beavers did." He pointed out places on the map spread on the table. "This is Beaver Dam, up the side valley to the east. Above it is Little Dam, also based on an old beaver dam. Now the New Dam's up the main valley, Little Dam's not needed, so we're letting it fall apart, which it _is_ doing, and hoping that with care the beavers might want to return and rebuild it their way."

"That's my job," Joel said with a grin. "I'm the ecologist. They _are_ returning to parts of the Blue Ridge Mountains... we'd like them here."

"Then they built the Old Dam," Mary said. "That's the one looming over us. They did it the best way they could in 1877... which isn't good enough for these days. It's packed earth and rock, with a very broad base, and a very shallow slope, on this side and the water side. It stayed stable for a hundred years, but it needs repair, repacking really, at the base on the far side, which means draining the reservoir. We've known that since before the New Dam was built – that's the one you were up at – in 1955. That took the pressure off the old one, and now we have a good system, three small lakes, well balanced, minimum impact on the area... So now we could go ahead, let the water level here right down temporarily, but the repairs would cost more than Appelt can handle alone, and the businesses further down the valley aren't willing to help."

Ty grunted disgustedly. "They use the water... they pay for what they use, and unless the State decrees a levy for repairs they won't pay a penny more. They want a new dam, down here..." he pointed to a location further down the valley. "With modern techniques, it'd be a good place. Ample water for them to expand their industries, not an area of outstanding beauty, so they just_ might_ get Congressional consent."

"If the Old Dam were no longer doing its job, that is," Mary said. "We're having to hold it at below two-thirds capacity as it is, we're still running computer models to figure out how long it would take to fail if it were filled. Current thinking is hours, not days. And if it failed, it'd inundate the town. The flood waters would be sufficient to flatten the place completely."

Joel grimaced. "Human disaster, ecological disaster. We want to save the dam; others – nobody in Appelt, I promise you – would prefer to legally empty it and destroy it. Then they maybe get their nice new dam down at Deepwood."

"And that word legally worries us," Simon spoke finally. "You got more evidence last night, of what we've feared all along. Some people are ready to destroy the dam anyway."

Tony looked at the map again and frowned. "The spot they want is for their dam is _beyond_ Appelt."

Simon nodded. "We're in their way, Tony. While our town's here, they can't have their dam." He paused. "I fell in love with the town, so did Adam. We settled here, I took over the local newspaper. Turns out I'm a good sniffer dog. I poke my nose in places, I hear things. They want their dam more than they want to stay honest, sane people. They're quite prepared to drown us all."

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Sorry this has taken so long... but can I share something with my pals? The two non-writing, starving hungry, _rather_ painful days I've just spent have told me that I _haven't _got the dreaded big C back again. Am I allowed to jump up and down and yell? Oh, and England won tonight. Football... soccer, you guys...**

**The entire Four Dams area exists only in my imagination of course. And sorry, I had to make up a relevant authority, because I couldn't find out what the real one is, and anyway, I think the real one would be more alert.**

**Thanks to Pamsie who wasn't logged in, for her kind review. And everyone else.**

Cowboy Tony Rides Again

Chapter 3

In the silence that followed Simon's words, while everyone thought over the horrible truth of what he'd said, Tony was aware of one thing over all others: Adam was looking at his father with absolute trust on his face. Dad wouldn't let this happen. OK, neither would he. The agent took a deep breath to answer, when his cell phone buzzed.

"Yeah, McGee?"

"Got some more stuff for you... shall I send it to Amos again?"

"No... wait up... Mary, I need -"

"I've got the FDA address, Tony."

The SFA was rueful. "Hey, I should have known. Yeah, send it here."

"On its way. There's an eye-opener in there..."

"Thanks. Anything to help us get the feebies in? I mean, I don't see how any way of making it _our_ official business, but my gut says move fast. Er – have you told Gibbs?"

"Oh yeah – he's -"

Tony looked at his phone in astonishment as McGee ended on a yelp and the call was cut off. Who was that screeching in the background? He shrugged and put the offending object back in his pocket.

Ty had picked up on 'send it here', and grabbed the nearest laptop. By the time he'd booted up, the material had arrived, and they all crowded round. Tony wished for a plasma screen; he dug out the USB he'd brought from the Frames' place, and Ty added that to a new file that he headed up 'Disaster'.

"You can delete the stuff about Mary if you like," Tony told him apologetically; it's just career and stuff – it was part of what I asked Tim to hunt down when all I had was a surname."

Mary glanced at it; what was displayed was the first file of information Tim had sent. "Nothing new there," she said cheerfully, then her eyes widened. "Brew Eisley? Phil Liddell? I might have damn well known. What d'you know about them? _How_ d'you know about them?"

Tony shrugged, even more apologetically. "Haven't had time to get to that yet," he said, and gave them the bit of information he'd left out up at New Dam. The little chestnut haired spitfire looked furious for a moment, but even as she snorted and began to subside, her deputy said reasonably, "Well, you didn't know anything about us then."

"But you do now," Mary added grudgingly.

"Well," Tony said with a grin towards Simon and Adam, "any friends of the guys are friends of mine," and thought _whew, that was less painful than it could have been. _

Simon looked uneasily at his son; he'd come in with Tony, and listened to everything that had been said. The big agent caught the look. "He shouldn't be involved in all this," the former Marine said softly, "It's frightening, the scale of it... he shouldn't have to deal with it."

"Does he look scared? He trusts you to do something about it, Mr Crusading Journalist, and that's good enough for him."

"Guess I'd better not let him down, then."

Tony just grinned. "We."

NCISNCISNCIS

Spread out across the back of the agency sedan, Tim struggled to save his laptop, his phone and himself as Gibbs rounded another corner on two wheels. "Boss! I know you're mad at me, but the laptop's important!"

"Not mad at you, McGee," Gibbs yelled over his shoulder. "Ya got your seat belt on, haven't ya?"

"_Tony seems to have come across some trouble brewing, Boss..."_

"_Where the hell **is** DiNozzo?"_

"_He went to see Doris, Boss. Er... it was actually my suggestion." Tim braced himself yet again. _

"_He went – ah." Gibbs went from irascible to matter-of-fact in zero seconds. Then back. "**What** trouble?"_

_The young agent knew he was a poor prevaricator and didn't like doing it anyway, to anyone, least of all the Boss. He explained quickly the little that Tony had told him, and then began putting pages up on the plasma screen. _

"_This is what I've found so far, Boss, and I've only been looking for half an hour, so you can bet there'll be more." He pointed with the cursor. "That's the conversation Tony overheard – verbatim. And you know you can trust his memory. That last line – about acting soon... and an old, weak dam – I think Tony feels that even if it's all a huge misunderstanding, he's got to find out. Cuz if it's not, someone's got to do something. This is what I've got up to now on the names he gave me, and the plate... and this is something else I noticed..."_

_He put up a map of the area. "You can see that Appelt is in a three-sided hollow, with the river making up the fourth side, then you see here, it runs away through a short, deep gorge. Dodgy place to put a settlement, but apparently the farm land was good, and they decided to build the dam a bit later. They built it good – for then – and felt they were completely safe. I dare say they were, but not any more."_

_Gibbs frowned. "If the dam went, you think the river couldn't take it."_

"_I'm sure it couldn't. Not fast enough. And the water would be bounced back by the rising land on the far side of the town. If the dam really is weak, and so far I've only got what the voice in the dark said... but if it is, it's a disaster waiting to happen."_

"_What's the motive? Why would anyone want to **make **it happen?"_

"_Those names, Boss. Except Lesniak – she's the dam boss. Bit young for the job, has to be a story there... One's the name Tony heard, the other's the registered owner of the truck. They both own manufacturing businesses... up on the high land beyond the town. Safe. There was a third guy Tony heard up at the dam, nothing yet on him – there are three more businesses on that high ground, one's a national franchise, so possibly not the boss of that one, that's Harvey Eames... but maybe one of these two. Thalia Vakis's firm doesn't manufacture, it wholesales sports equipment. And it was another male voice he heard. Scott Milner has a food processing plant. Going to look into him next."_

"_What are the other two factories?"_

"_Philip Liddell runs a micro-brewery, Brewster Eisley doesn't, in spite of his name. Mass produced cheap recycled glassware – possibly the bottles for the beer? Beyond that, I don't know yet. I'm still looking; Tony's talking to people there." He looked Gibbs in the eyes. "My gut's following Tony's, Boss. He went looking for a bit of peace -"_

"_But it is not what he found," Ziva said in a more conciliatory tone than previously. "I can join Tim in seeking for more information if you wish."_

"_Sure," Gibbs said dryly. "If you're any good at working a laptop in a car. Let's go."_

_Nobody asked him where to._

NCISNCISNCIS

They looked at the first file Tim had sent. Nobody needed to explain the flood trap to Tony; it was clear with one glance at the map.

"I envy you being able to get hold of this so quickly, Tony," Mary said thoughtfully. "I'd love to be able to turn up information on that lot."

"This has to be McGee's work," Simon said just as thoughtfully.

"You knew a lot of it already," Tony said cheerfully. "Now we've got to start enlarging on it. What do _you_ know?" He looked at the list of names that Tim had shown Gibbs. "You know these two and you're not surprised. Why's that?"

Mary smiled thinly. "It takes ten pints of water to produce one pint of beer. Phil's beer's gaining popularity – "

"It's good," Joel grinned.

"Well... yeah. So he wants to produce more. But he'd have to pay for more water. Brewster... he hates paying for the electricity it takes to run his factory, so he wants to build his own hydro-electric plant. Same problem. Remember that valve you saw on New Dam? It brings a large volume of water down to Old Dam if needed – it's faster than opening the right hand sluice and letting it come down the rive, because the outlet is lower down the dam face, so there's a lot of pressure behind it. It was originally put there in case the businesses had a sudden high demand, but now it's permanently closed, because the last thing we want right now up there – " she jerked her thumb in the direction of the earth bank – "is a large volume of water."

"How do they get the water for their businesses, then?" Tony asked.

Ty pointed to a spot on the map as he answered. "We release a measured flow into the river, that's picked up by a pumping station at the foot of the escarpment, where we pump it up to the industries up there, meter it, and charge accordingly. It's easier to let the river do it than build another pipeline." Now it was Ty's turn to grin. "It's the least expensive water in the whole of Virginia," he said wryly. "But those cheapskates still don't like paying."

"They want a new dam," Simon said harshly. "They want a big lake, with its own hydro-electric plant, made by a narrow, deep dam at the end of the gorge. They've been plaguing Congress and anyone else who'd listen about it for years, but they've been told 'no' repeatedly. Nobody in authority's going to contemplate clearing out an entire town for it. Fortunately. If the Old Dam becomes too dangerous, it can be emptied and rebuilt, like Mary said. But if it were to fail 'accidentally' and destroy the town anyway..." He glanced across at his son and thought of two schools full of unsuspecting young people.

Tony nodded. "There's more," he said flatly. "_This_ is where McDigger comes into his own. Don't ask me how he came up with this – it's just something he _does._" He brought up the next piece of information Tim had sent him – it _was _an eye-opener, as he'd said. A holding company was busily buying up land all around the valley sides – all at a particular height.

Ty swore, then apologised to Adam, who shot a wicked look at Simon. "I've heard Dad say that," he said cheekily.

"That's the level the lake would be if they built the gorge dam," Ty said furiously, stopping any denial Simon might have made.

"That's what Tim thought," Tony said.

Mary looked at them both. "I won't ask if you're certain of that," she said slowly. Tony looked a bit puzzled. "Hey, I'm an engineer... but my background's systems engineering... didn't know the first thing about hydrodynamics when I came here. Ty's taught me everything I know. He should be chief, but the State wouldn't accept anyone without a degree, and Ty learned his subject in the army. If he says something's so, I believe him."

"Whatever," Ty said without grudge. "Now I'm _really_ worried. Someone out there's convinced it's going to happen."

"Convinced enough to be speculating," Joel said. "Lakeside land would be sought after; there'd be building... hotels, houses, roads, never mind the impact on the environment."

"I might have said the State wouldn't let that happen," Simon said, "but in my 'long' career as a journalist, I've grown cynical. It would be nice to know who owns the holding company."

"If Tim knew he'd have told us, but he won't give up until he _does_ know-" which was the cue for his phone to buzz.

"Just talking about you, McFerret... you've impressed a few people down here... you have? How did you find – no, don't tell me, I won't be able to explain it to anyone else -"

"No need," Gibbs said, striding in. "He can tell them himself." Tim and Ziva followed him in, McGee with his phone still in one hand. Both younger agents carried laptops; both looked slightly dishevelled.(Well, Tony thought, that explained the screeching he'd heard.) "Got any coffee?" the Marine added hopefully.

"Boss!" Tony exclaimed happily. "You taking a day off to see the beautiful scenery round here? Cuz I can't imagine you've managed to get jurisdiction on this."

"Nah," Gibbs said casually. "That'll go to the FBI... when the Director lets them know."

"Which will be when?"

"Oh," the Senior Agent answered, still in a very relaxed tone, "She'll get round to it some time."

Tony thought of Jenny Shepard and his gleeful mood evaporated. He suppressed a sigh and made the introductions while Simon and Adam fixed drinks for everyone. "So, McSuperferret, tell everyone what you just told me. It's another eye-opener, folks," he said, and only Gibbs, who'd been pleased to see the delight at the arrival of his team and not so pleased at the collapse of the good mood, saw the valiant effort his SFA made to get it back.

"Tony asked me to get everything I could on the Four Dams region," Tim made his own valiant effort – to be succinct. "When I got into – er, when I looked at the files of the Virginia Regional Land Authority, and discovered how much land was being bought up, I wondered if anything existed... provision for change of use in unusual circumstances, so I er... wandered around in their files for a bit." He was setting up his laptop as he spoke.

"You hacked..." Mary said in a delighted, awed tone.

"I wish you worked for me,"Simon added wryly.

"I found this straight away..."

They all peered at the newspaper article, taken from a statewide paper, that appeared on the screen. It was an interview with the new head of the Authority, who'd taken over just four weeks previously.

_My own feeling, _Tim had highlighted,_ is that 'foot in the door' situations should not be encouraged in the region. Not allowed, if you prefer._ Miss Lisa Campitelli warmed to her subject._ My duty, and my passion, having grown up here, is that the area should remain unspoilt. Any new construction, of any description, will have to pass the most Draconian of tests, and be proved to be of benefit to the whole region, community and State, not just to one group of citizens._

"So when I found _these_," Tim went on, after giving them time to take it in, "I thought Miss Campitelli doesn't know everything that's going on in her department. To be fair, it was buried rather deeply for anyone who's only been in the job a month to find it."

The documents were an application for a survey of possibilities if the Old Dam at Appelt were to become unuseable, (carefully worded to make no mention of accidental failure,)a completed survey with options, and a letter from the deputy director in charge of the region, giving provisional approval for a new dam rather than the reconstruction of what was lost. The official didn't seem to grasp that 'what was lost' included a whole township.

After a long silence, Simon said quietly, "You're the investigators... but if Miss Campitelli isn't aware of this, I think she should be _made _aware immediately. Anyone object to me going to Richmond?"

There were head-shakes, and Ziva said suddenly, "I will come with you. I am good at assessing whether or not someone is telling the truth. We will know from her reaction whether we have an ally or not. _If _pains have been taken to conceal this from her, and _if_ she is sincere in her sentiments, once she_ is _aware of it I believe it will make the building of a dam in the gorge impossible. She will not approve it under any circumstances."

She looked at Gibbs for permission, and found herself also looking at Tony for approval. Tim was already phoning to make an appointment, and Ty was making a printout of the sheaf of documents.

Neither Gibbs nor Tony said a word, but Ziva smiled, and took the documents.

"I'll stay here and keep you posted, Dad," Adam said, and Simon smiled. Three hours in a car wasn't to his live-wire son's liking, ankle cast or not.

"Sure, son..." and Tony noticed with an internal grin how the former Marine looked at Mary for _her_ approval... a few moments later, the Denali rumbled away.

"The problem is,"Mary said worriedly, "Will they believe it?"

"Not a problem, Ms Lesniak," Gibbs said calmly. "We're not going to let them do this anyway."

**AN: Sorry, no action again, but we're getting to the end of the setting up. Shorter than I like to put out, but the last two days have been a bit of a strain, (moan moan,) I'm happy but running out of steam, and I wanted to get _something_ posted.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Thanks to kubotr who wasn't logged in, for the kind review!**

Cowboy Tony Rides Again

Chapter 4

Miss Campitelli of the Virginia Regional Land Authority held court at a fine modern office complex closer to Charlottesville than Richmond, which cut down the journey time somewhat. Nevertheless, by the time Simon had called in and described her fury with a tongue-in cheek taste for journalistic hyperbole, almost two hours had gone by.

"_She was livid, Tony! She's... well, more obviously Italian than you... tempestuous, flashing eyes, spoke eloquently con le mani... well, she was grateful that we'd unearthed it. I told her a barefaced lie, that we'd found copies amongst the estate of someone in Appelt, didn't want to drop Tim in it. Ziva says she believed me. She's now after the blood of the poor official who was conned into it, and the fact that he retired over a year ago doesn't seem likely to save him. Anyway, she's clear. No dam in the gorge under any circumstances; again, Ziva says she's telling the truth. We're on our way back. Now we just need to let those jokers know."_

There were guarded looks as Tony disconnected the speakerphone; Adam was beaming with pleasure at his Dad's success, and no-one wanted to voice the thought that it was probably already too late. Mary said teasingly, in an attempt to lighten the moment, "So, Tony... you're not tempestuous and flashing eyed?"

The tall agent struck a pose, just as Adam said "What's con lay marnee?"

Tony put on a thick Neapolitan accent, which was the one he considered he did best, and said "With-a da hendz..." and waved them accordingly. But as he made Adam laugh, he thought of Italian serenading Jeanne in the hospital parking lot; his stomach roiled and a fist of ice took hold of his heart and gripped it until it shattered yet again.

Both Gibbs and Tim saw the look that skidded across his face as he turned, ostensibly to look out of the window at the dam where it rose not twenty yards away. They glanced at each other, trying to come up with something quickly to distract him; blessed fate intervened as the younger agent's laptop beeped.

"Got something," Tim said, barely concealing his relief. He hated the look he was seeing in Tony's eyes lately, but didn't really know what he could do.

In the time since Simon and Ziva had set out, the three NCIS agents had familiarised themselves with all the information McGee had found on the businesses up up on the hill and their parsimonious owners, and set up co-ordination with the local and state police. Tony had mused on how would-be saboteurs would think they could get away with it, and Gibbs had suggested they'd bring in outside help. Mary had growled that yes, that would be Brew Eisley's style, and his friends, so a search was on for possible known undesirables appearing in the area.

They'd also had a crash course in the geography _and_ history of the area, and the workings of the Four Dams system. They were impressed with how the FDA team had kept that system working, and Old Dam from failing, on a shoestring budget.

"The thing is," Mary had said ruefully, "even now, we could deal with things if the poor old thing went from natural causes. We'd know from the flow patterns when the base was being seriously undermined – which it is, but I mean _seriously_ undermined... the other two dams can still hold more, and like I told Tony, we could drain the Old Lake before trouble struck and still have enough water for nobody to go short.

"But sabotage, that's different."

"How would you go about that?" Gibbs had asked, although he thought he could guess.

It was Ty Frodsham who'd grunted, thrown his pen down and pushed his chair back.

"If I'd been around at the time, I'd have told them to do it differently... that damn pipeline down from New Dam. All anyone but us knows is that it gets the water down here in a hurry if it's needed. What _we_ know, not that the knowledge does us any good, is that one: there's no valve down here to open or close the conduit. Two: where the outflow's located, up at the top end of the lake here, when it's open, it pushes the water round like a giant coffee spoon. It only takes an hour for the whole lake to be flowing round in a giant circle, and that's what's undercut the dam in the first place."

They'd all looked astonished, as they put two and two together. "That's right," Mary had said. "Old Dam was doing just fine until they built its new cousin. Crazy, isn't it?"

"The coffee spoon phenomenon's almost irrelevant, though," Ty had added. "Everyone knows the dam's in danger, Mary's been vocal enough – they all trust us to keep them safe – so that lot -" he pointed derisively through the window, across the hollow where Appelt lay in the sunshine, to the buildings up on the high ground. "_That_ lot know all they have to do is let a _lot_ of water into Old Lake suddenly, and in very short time the dam would be beyond saving. Me, I'd open that valve, and all the sluices on the other two dams, all at once."

Tim had shaken his head. "You have remote control of all the machinery. They'd have to know you'd be aware immediately of what they were doing, and close them again."

"Oh, yeah. They could either jam the sluices, and that valve, or they could stop us."

Gibbs had nodded gravely. "You _do _realise that could put you in a certain amount of danger."

"The thought's occurred to us."

Now, Tim hoped that ding from his computer would give him something, anything, that could lessen the danger, and lighten his friend's mood.

Tony turned back from the window, forcing his attention back to the present. _Focus, DiNozzo, we've got a job to do..._ his thoughts seemed to have Gibbs' voice.

"Well," Tim said in surprise, he's not the one I'd have expected. If I were asked to pick, that is."

"What's that?" Mary asked, coming over. "Well I'll be... hell, I'm not saying what I'll be, but I should have known."

"Known?" Joel stirred himself away from the monitors and gauges he'd been watching.

"Tim's found the owner of the holding company. Our land-grabber's Harvey Eames."

NCISNCISNCIS

Harvey Eames was a worried man. Seven years ago, he'd laid out a lot of money to take the wholesale franchise for the area, of one of the biggest suppliers of auto spare parts in the country. The business had made good returns, but had taken time to recoup the outlay, and in any case, Harvey always wanted more. So, for that matter, did Harvey's somewhat younger wife, who hadn't the faintest idea how to earn money, but sure knew how to spend it. (She didn't love him, he didn't love her... but he loved the looks on other guys' faces when he, forties, narrow shouldered and unprepossessing, walked into a room with her, so yeah, he was prepared to pay to keep her.)

The would-be magnate had begun buying land in a small way when the idea of a dam at Deepwood was first mooted. The high ground where his warehouse stood would be on a promontory above such a dam; the land around was rocky and unattractive, and would only be fit for expanding the operations of his business and the others that shared the plateau. If industrial use were confined to that area, where it would be practical and sensible from the point of view of water supply; and of benefit to employment in the region, he was certain that a very good case could be made (indeed, he'd already made it where it mattered,) for the new dam, if the old one were no longer of use.

The only fly in the ointment was the town of Appelt. Well, not the only one – there was also the matter of a tiny, killer dormouse of a woman who ran the dams authority, and wouldn't hear of it. Harvey Eames was beginning to hate Mary Lesniak.

Time was running out: she'd been understated in public, (he knew she and her crew were good enough to manage the situation, and they didn't want to alarm people,) but in spite of his best efforts to disparage her work, she was being listened to. And now that damn newspaperman – another fly – was starting to show an interest. Other than amongst the business community there'd been only opposition to the idea.

"What did you expect, Harvey?" Brew Eisley grumbled. "They like the area as it is, they don't want change, and there'd be nothing in it for them if change happened."

Even Eisley, who liked money as much as Eames did, was just a little chilled by his reply. "They don't matter. I've worked too hard for this to let it go now."

Oh, he had. If the auditors ever got wind of how much of the franchise's money he'd spent lately on buying more land, he'd lose more than his trophy wife. He was, however, a seriously creative accountant, and was (almost) quite certain that a slightly under-performing business could be explained by its location and limited size; by the time the new dam was approved, the parent company would be only too glad to help with his expansion. He turned sharply to face his co-conspiritors.

"Do you know how difficult it was to get that set of accords done? And then buried where no-one would notice until it was too late? But they're_ there_. If Old Dam failed – _when _Old Dam fails, and the sweet little town of Appelt isn't there any more, we'll have our new dam. You want to be rich, don't you?"

Eisley nodded. "Oh, I'm with you, Harvey... tell me again how you plan to achieve it without being caught?"

Phil Liddell murmured his agreement. "Can't get the nation drinking my beer if I'm in jail."

The fourth plotter said nothing, his face a mask of self-preserving calm, his thoughts maybe not so.

Harvey laughed. "I've got the manpower... all you need to do is stump up your share of their payoff. I'm not footing the entire bill myself – you'll all benefit just as much as me."

"Manpower?" Scott Milner spoke, warily, for the first time.

"Manpower, Milner." Eames rolled his eyes in exasperation. "You don't think we're going to get our own hands dirty, do you? All they need to do is open the sluices on all the dams when I tell them to – and that pipeline down from New Dam, that'll do the most damage..."

"But they... they'll _know_... and they can open and close them remotely from the control room at Old Dam," Milner protested feebly.

"Not if they're _jammed_," Eames said with exaggerated patience. "And before you ask, the guys I hired don't know who they're working for. Four of the six of them are of Asian descent – if the word 'terrorism' gets whispered in the aftermath I won't be surprised. It'll help, but I don't really care, they can't be traced to us. They've had half the money up front – and that can't be traced to me either – now they're just waiting for the word to earn the rest of it, and get the hell out of there." He flourished a phone.

"What..." this time it was Liddell looking as if he had a tiger by the tail. "They're up there now?"

"Keeping out of sight," Harvey Eames said cheerfully. He finally realised he was getting some dubious looks. "Look," he said patiently, "there's not enough water up there to actually _hurt_ anyone... it'll just break the dam and cause enough flood damage in the town that it won't be worth rebuilding either."

"Oh," Liddell said, venal enough to believe what he wanted to believe. "Fair enough."

"When did you _think _we were going to make our move? _After _Townley's next bit of 'investigative journalism'?" Eames waved expansively at several sets of binoculars waiting on the conference room table, and gave a smile that anyone not blinded by dollar signs would have recognised as dangling far out over the edge of the cuckoo's nest, and moved to the window. "Should get a good view from here..."

NCISNCISNCIS

"It's not such a surprise," Mary said finally. "Eames is the richest, and the greediest -"

"And he has a very expensive wife to support," Joel added.

"You know, he never struck me as particularly stable, either," Ty chimed in. "Type who throws tantrums, you know?"

Mary and Joel both nodded; they did know. The agents took note, and Gibbs' phone buzzed. He listened, grunted his thanks, and put it away. "State police. Three known offenders from the Baltimore area -" Tony rolled his eyes - "seen driving this way yesterday. Pictures being supplied. It could be starting."

"We need to be out there, Boss," Tony said quietly. And if Gibbs hadn't been about to agree with him, a moment later he would have changed his mind – he didn't believe in coincidences... Mary's desk phone shrilled.

"Hey, Ross..." She listened for a while. "Really? Can you see anything? Ah. _No!_ No, you shouldn't. Ross, wait -" She swore. "Ross Macklin – remember? Our fourth guy? Had the surveillance last night? A pal of his who's a hunter just let him know he spotted at least two guys up in the woods by Beaver, trying to look as if they weren't there. Ross put a camera up there..." Joel was already hitting buttons, "but he said it doesn't show anything."

"He's right," the young man confirmed.

"He's gone up there... I told him not to... said he's going to meet up with his pal – who's got a gun – and keep watch..."

"On my way," Gibbs growled.

"Boss," Tim said reprovingly, "One of us should go with you."

"I'll be fine, McGee. DiNozzo, you still here?" He swept out.

Tony grabbed his backpack. "I'll go check round the far side of New Lake, there's more cover there than where I met you this morning."

"Sure, Tony – but there's no road up there, only hunter trails and deer tracks," Mary protested.

"All Doris and I need," he told her with his first smile in quite some time.

He headed for the door, and Tim followed him out. As the SFA turned to ask what was up, he saw the younger man's eyes were hot. "This is getting tired, Tony. I get left behind again? Neither you nor Gibbs think you need me?" It was more disappointed than petulant, and hell, Tony knew all about feeling insecure, so he didn't let rip with his usual sarcasm.

"Maybe we do, McGee, but they need you more." Tim blinked. "They may be in danger if the bad guys come here – and anyway, what d'you think they'll do if the dam starts to go?"

"They'll stay and try to save it. Ah."

"Yeah. You have to convince them if the time comes to stop. Save them, and young Adam."

Tim nodded ruefully. "OK. You got it... sor-"

"Rule six. Take care of them." He hurried away to his car.

Tim stood looking back at the dam as Tony drove away. It was difficult to imagine something so large and solid being vulnerable... He wondered where the weakest point was, and tried to imagine where the water would flow, then shrugged and gave up what had to be a pretty pointless exercise. He was about to walk back inside, when he heard a vehicle approaching, and even as he wondered if Tony had forgotten something, he knew it wasn't the Mustang's engine. He turned, to see a white delivery truck approaching; 'Milner's Gourmet Meals' was the legend in classic script on its side. Milner... Tim uncovered his gun, but the frantic man who leapt from the cab was alone, unarmed, and didn't seem to be a threat to anyone.

"Is Mary here?" he gasped. "I've got to talk to her... or Ty... he's going to kill everyone..."

Tim drew his gun, and motioned the other man to be still and quiet, while he checked the truck. Never assume... that the back isn't full of armed men. It wasn't – Tim breathed again and ushered Milner into the building, almost being bowled over by young Adam, as he dashed out, crutches flailing.

"Sorry, Tim... going to wait for Dad," he said, and sat down on the same step he'd chosen earlier.

NCISNCISNCIS

Gibbs took the FWD that he'd 'borrowed' from Mary, (the keys were in it, and he was sure she'd have said yes if he'd stopped to ask... rule 18!) up as far as the turning for Beaver Dam, then pulled it off the road, and went the rest of the way on foot. Since he didn't want to be seen, he wasn't; but the men he was looking for, both lots, were also well concealed. And he really hoped to find the friendly ones first. He found himself wishing he had DiNozzo's hearing...

A moment later he found he didn't need it, as the heavy metal ring-tone of someone's cell was loud enough to startle a few birds and a squirrel into leaving the area. A moment later, three young men rose from their secluded resting place, and headed out towards the dam. One picked up a solid looking tree branch as he went.

Gibbs drew his Sig, and followed silently as the men walked out onto the dam and headed for the sluice, only to have two more men break cover between him and the first group. Not what he'd hoped for. The FDA man and the hunter... who held his gun like he knew how to use it, but how many guns did the opposition have?

One of the bad guys saw them and yelled a warning, just as Ross Macklin yelled at them to get away from the sluice. His friend raised his rifle uncertainly – shooting at deer was one thing...

The leader of the three simply laughed. He began to lift something that looked like a semi-automatic, and Gibbs thought enough was enough.

"Federal Agent! Freeze!"

The weapon began to swing towards him, so he just shot it out of the guy's hand. It flew over the parapet and disappeared into the dam for ever. _"Every shot should be a kill shot," _he heard his old instructor's voice, above the sound of the man's scream of pain. No, not any more... The second man half raised a handgun, but stopped when he found himself the centre of attention for a Sig and a Remington, this time aimed with real purpose. The third ducked behind him, ran along the dam and disappeared, blundering into the undergrowth.

"Thanks," Ross Macklin said, rather breathless now the adrenalin was subsiding a bit. "We were just going to watch... but hell, I couldn't let them _do_ anything to the dam..."

"Yeah, nice shooting," the hunter acknowledge, keeping his gun on the injured man while Gibbs cuffed the other. "You the fed Mary was talking to this morning?"

Gibbs chuckled, and gestured down the narrow trail at the other side of the dam. "Nope," he said. "He is."

Doris came sloping down the track, all equine nonchalance, herding an angry but subdued young man before her. "Hi, Boss," Tony carolled cheerfully. "Found something of yours..."

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I hope it's not too confusing, but towards the end of the chapter I've stopped putting breaks in, because the story switches so frequently from one scene to another.**

Cowboy Tony Rides Again

Chapter 5

"Mary," Scott Milner was saying desperately, arms out in front of him to ward off the attack of an enraged hamster, "They're going to do it today! You have to get out of here... I _swear_ I didn't know this was what he meant!"

The Spitfire was hardly mollified. "Just what _did _you think he meant, then, Scotty?"

Tim realised the man was in a serious state of panic, and intervened in the calmest voice he could muster, "Look, Mr. Milner, start at the beginning."

"OK..." he took a deep breath. "Yes.. I'd definitely have liked more water, and the idea of having more control over the supply appealed the way Brew put it..."

"Have we ever made difficulties about your supply, Scotty? We're a public service, goddammit..."

Mary was winding up again, and Milner went on hastily, "No, you haven't, that's what I'm saying..." He shook his head, then got a hold of his voice. "My business is small," he said firmly. "It couldn't support a levy to repair the dam... not unless it was spread out over years. And State Departments don't work like that! They asked me if I was interested in finding another way; I knew they'd been up on the dams in the middle of the night a few times..."

"They?" Tim asked quietly, "We'd wondered if you were one of them."

"I might have gone along," Scott said truthfully, "but my wife's got more sense. She stopped me."

"So, Eisley, Liddell, and...Eames was the third?"

"You know there were three? How..." He shrugged. "Yes, those three. You probably know the rest of it then. You're a fed, right? You know things I don't... Well, Brew kept on trying to get me in on what he called 'the contingency plan', he told me I'd need to know once it went into action, cuz our water supply might be interrupted... so today I went to a meeting at Harvey's offices, and they're going to overload the dam..._ today!_ I said I was going to the mens room... they thought I wanted to pee because I was scared – and I was. I am. I ran back round to my place, got my truck and came here. How do we warn the town?"

Mary pointed towards Joel, who was on the phone. "We're already talking to the police. Ty's locked the sluices down, they won't be able to open them manually."

"Done," Ty said tersely, not looking away from his screen.

"Well... that's good," Scott Milner said uncertainly, "but it was the pipeline down from New Dam they were talking about. They say that can't be locked."

"No, it can't," Ty told him. "All we can do is keep shutting the valve as fast as they open it. And if I fully open the channel that releases water from the dam to the river it's still only a quarter of what the pipeline brings down. And although I've not actually investigated practically, for obvious reasons, computer models suggest that it'd just add to the coffee spoon effect. I've increased the flow by thirty percent for now anyway; I'm trying to work out some sort of a balance." Scott looked blank; they didn't have time to explain.

Mary's worry began to edge through into her voice. "When -"

"Right now! He wanted us to have a good view – he'd provided binoculars..." He looked at the young fed. "Did your intel, wherever you got it from, tell you he's more unhinged than Jake's barn door?"

And at that moment, Ty said quietly, "Mary, it's started to flow... it's fully open."

He switched to another screen – the camera on New Dam that had filmed Tony. Three men could be seen; two of them were pushing a great chunk of wood the size of an old railway sleeper through the valve wheel to jam it, and Ty swore. "We can't turn it off remotely... we have to get up there, or the dam's got maybe four hours!"

Joel said, as he put his phone down, "Simon's on his way... he rang to ask what was happening... he's going straight up there. I spoke to Gibbs too, he and Tony have dealt with the guys at Beaver Dam. They all said look after Adam."

Tim was the only one who'd heard a vehicle pulling up, and drew his gun as he moved towards the window, hoping that Ziva had found a lift or a car from somewhere. He hoped she hadn't gone to the dam with Simon... A a voice from the doorway said, "Oh, it's a little late for that. I should drop your gun, federal whoever you are... or I'm quite likely to shoot young Mr. Townley here."

NCISNCISNCIS

Tony kept his gun on the would-be escapee, who was stumbling along, hands cuffed behind him, as Doris nudged him towards the pathway across the top of the dam. As her shod forefoot clanged on the metal bridge over the dam's one sluice, she stopped, uncertainly. This was something she wasn't used to. Tony jumped down quickly, and patted her neck. "Sorry, sweetie, taking you for granted." _For crying out loud, why does every little thing make me think of Jeanne?_ "You stay there." He pushed the man ahead of him to join Gibbs.

Ross was binding the injured man's hand as best he could, while his friend kept his gun on both of them. "Get him over here, son, the more the merrier," the hunter said cheerfully.

Tony liked his attitude, and managed a smile that reached his eyes, unlike the one that Gibbs had been able to see, from the other side of the dam, was the sort his SFA wore like war-paint.

The Boss picked up on it. Dammit, he'd have to do _something, _he thought... now just wasn't the time."This is Morten," he said, "he gave us a hand," and the hunter sketched a salute, just as Gibbs' cell phone buzzed. He listened, a frown gathering, and asked Joel to hold. "The pipeline's been opened," he told Tony, and explained what he'd just been told.

"I need to be up there, Boss!"

"I know. Townley's already on his way. I need to find out what these bozos know," he added apologetically

"I know," Tony echoed. "I can't leave even a former Marine up there by himself – the other set of bozos could still be around... and we've got to unblock that valve. You'll come as soon as you can. Tell McGee to be careful... and where's Ziva... and tell them to take care of young Adam." He ran back across the dam, with Gibbs' "Be careful yaself, DiNozzo," echoing after him, jumped back into his saddle, and set off down the trail a lot faster than he'd come up it.

Gibbs watched him go with a sigh, relayed the message back to Joel and added his own – and turned back to his prisoners with a very pleasant smile.

NCISNCISNCIS

Tony stayed low in his saddle to avoid overhanging branches; this wasn't a trail that riders used too often, as it only led to the dam, where any self-respecting horse would stop just as Doris had done. He'd told Ziva long ago that the mare had stamina; now he let her choose her own pace according to the terrain. They had to get up above the tree-line, over the ridge and down into the main valley; and she kept up a smart canter wherever the trail would let her. Once the way became clear she leaned into the slope and went thundering up at a speed that made even her rider, who knew her well, blink.

"Cowboy Tony's faithful cayuse, Doris the Wonder Horse, understanding the need for speed, bears him swiftly through dangerous territory," he yelled in her ear as she charged on; she didn't even flick an ear. If he'd been able to keep his mind on the exhilaration of racing to the rescue, he'd have been fine; but he had to go and think about how often he'd wanted to bring Jeanne up here, and show the city girl who loved dancing just how great riding in the mountains was... But his alter ego was something he could never have expected Amos and Sally to sustain, and in any case, Jenny would have gone spare at him breaking his cover to anyone... aaah... f...reakin... mind on the job, DiNozzo.

Gibbs, he knew, would have to take the truck, drive down to the end of the fold in the hills where Beaver Dam had sat peacefully for well over a hundred years, go round the end of the ridge into the main valley, ford the river, and pick up the track to New Dam. All that after he'd found out what he could from the bozos. Tony had a feeling it wouldn't be much... but although it wouldn't take him long, the Boss wouldn't be arriving any time soon, and Doris could do it, Doris _was_ doing it in a quarter of the time.

They crested the ridge, and again Tony let her pick her own path and speed. His hat blew off, and the cord round his neck threatened to throttle him, but no way was he going to wrench it off – he wouldn't part with his Clint hat for anyone. His long sight wasn't as good as the Boss's, (although his hearing was way better, he told himself,) but even so, he could see two vehicles down there, fortunately each unaware of the other's position. Disappearing cross-country, away from Appelt and the dams, and keeping to high ground, was a nondescript FWD. On the far side of New Dam, at the top of the track sat Simon's Denali, and the Marine was already climbing over the gate...

Would Bozo Bunch #2 have stayed around to stop him? Would he have tried to stop them? Whatever... hopefully they were out of the equation; maybe LEOs would get a lead on them later... It took Doris less than five minutes to pick her way down the hillside in a zig-zag path; "Hooray for horse-sense," Tony told her and patted her neck fondly. They skidded to a halt at the edge of the dam, and remembering Doris's wariness earlier, Tony vaulted out of the saddle.

"Wait here, gal," he said, and set off across the bridge; and stopped, astonished, as the metal grating clanged behind him. He looked round; Doris bumped into him, and stood with an impatient _'well, go on then,' _look. He laughed. "Oh, sweetie," he said happily. "Come on, then." He ran the fifty yards across the parapet with the brown mare trotting behind him.

He needed to calm down; he was well aware that his thoughts, and consequently his mood, were swinging like an erratic pendulum. Could a pendulum be erratic? Wasn't the whole thing about a pendulum that its timing never changed, even as its arc dwindled... Get a grip, DiNozzo, you're going to get yourself – or more likely Simon, killed. You just want to think about anything but – _think about the job you've got to do_.

They stopped where they'd been earlier that morning; Doris was more relaxed now, they'd done this before. She scouted round for something nice to eat, as Tony vaulted over the gate and scrambled down to where Simon was heaving at the huge chunk of wood stuck in the wheel, with absolutely no success whatsoever.

"Tony..." breathlessly... "Don't know how they did this..."

"It took two of them," the agent told him. "Saw it on the monitor at Old Dam. Two of us now... should be able to – why the _hell_ won't it move?" After a few more minutes of both of them heaving at the post, he grabbed the valve wheel in frustration as he got his breath back, and was astonished to find it moved a tiny amount. The wood wouldn't let it shift any further, but it set Tony wondering.

"Let's try something," he said. "Pull the wheel towards closed as hard as you can."

"Kay... why? Oh, I see." And he did. If they tried to open the valve it only made the angle the wood was jammed at tighter, but maybe if they pushed the other way...

Tony dropped down onto the concrete shelf and lay on his back. "Pull!" Simon pulled, then he turned himself the other way and pushed, throwing his whole weight behind the effort; Tony kept kicking the post hard with both feet. "Anything?"

"Maybe," Simon panted.. "Again!"

NCISNCISNCIS

Harvey Eames shoved Adam ahead of him into the room, his gun against the back of the boy's head, and Tim slowly put his gun down on the nearest desk. He pushed it behind a monitor, as he said, "OK, done that, now take the gun away from Adam, and pick on someone your own size."

That annoyed Eames, and had the desired effect of making him forget about the Sig, which was Tim's intention. He'd marked the man for an amateur, and amateurs made mistakes. He shoved Adam harder, and the boy would have gone sprawling, his feet tangling with his crutches, if Scott Milner hadn't caught him. That got him noticed by Eames, and Tim tensed in anticipation. That _hadn't _been his intention. Tony had left him there to protect everyone, although he doubted this was what his SFA had meant. The gun swung from the child to the man.

"If you insist," the businessman said unpleasantly. "How about _him_ then? Running off to tell tales? Is this all the thanks I get for trying to make you rich, Scotty?"

Milner was scared, but he looked Eames in the eye. "Not this way, Harvey."

"He's right," Tim said quietly. "One of my team went to see Miss Campitelli... you know her, right? Just this morning, with Simon Townley. They alerted her to those accords you pushed through so quietly – and Miss C. is furious. She says there'll be no dam at Deepwood now or ever."

"What? How did you find out about that?" Now the gun was pointed at Tim.

Tim shrugged. "We're feds. There's no point in destroying this dam, when you can't have the other one."

Eames two cronies were regarding him uncertainly, the guns in their hands wavering uneasily.

"Harv," Phil Liddell began tentatively, only to be cut off.

"No point? They know who we are! No point? She'll change her mind when the dam's gone... and we have to get rid of witnesses. _That's_ the point!"

"You think you can kill us all?" Mary started forwards in a fury, until three guns pointed at her. "You can't shoot all of us..."

"Don't need to," Harvey Eames said gleefully. "I see you're afraid of having your equipment stolen..." he indicated the security grilles on all the windows. "We lock you in, smash your communications – and leave the dam to do its work."

"Harvey..." Liddell began again.

"Just shut up, Phil. D'you want to spend your life in prison? Are you with me?"

Brewster Eisley lifted his gun. "I'm with you, Harv."

"Phil?"

"I'm trying to tell you..." he pointed to the monitor. "There are two guys up there trying to free that valve."

"The hell there are -" Eames peered short-sightedly at the screen for a moment, then straightened up. He jerked his gun at the monitor. "Open the sluice," he said flatly.

"It's locked," Ty said just as shortly.

Eames simply grabbed Adam Townley again, and jabbed his gun into the boy's side. Adam yelped with pain. "Open – the – sluice."

"That's my Dad up there!" Adam yelled. "And Tony!"

Eames didn't bother to reply, he just cocked the gun.

"OK... don't hurt the kid..." The engineer flashed a look at Tim, '_do something_', and tapped his keyboard, and a few moments later, they could see a thin sheet of water arcing out from under the sluice gate.

Ziva was enjoying the sunshine, as she jogged up the hill towards Old Dam. She had wanted to go with Simon, but had taken his point that she would not be physically strong enough to help him with the valve, and the odds were that Tony was on his way. "I will go back to Old Dam then. If you drop me here I will run the rest of the way and it will save you some time. I will call Gibbs, and yes, I _will_ look after Adam."

There was nothing at first glance to make her slow her pace as she got closer to the FDA headquarters, only her natural tendency to be cautious. But as she came within sight of the building she stopped and ducked instantly behind some ornamental shrubs. One of the vehicles in the parking lot bore the name of Milner, who had been mentioned as a possible conspirator. The agency sedan was there, but then, she knew Gibbs had taken the FDA truck. Tony's car was missing; he was out there somewhere on Doris... there were the private cars belonging to the FDA team that she had observed this morning, and a new Buick Enclave bristling with every possible extra, that shouted its owner's name. Eames... the motor parts man... Ziva drew her Sig and went into stealth mode.

Gibbs ground his teeth as he turned the FDA truck away from New Dam and along by the river; he could see Doris up there, and although it was more difficult against the darker face of the dam, he could see two figures half-way down the wall, where he knew the valve was. But the only crossing place was half a mile down stream, which Gibbs decided had been done deliberately just to annoy him. Just like the fact that he'd got zilch out of his prisoners, and had to wait until LEOs came to claim them, since it was no part of his job to leave them in the hands of civilians, no matter how competent he could see Morten was.

He stamped on the accelerator, bucked and bounced all the way to the ford, and drove across at breakneck speed, sending rooster-tail plumes of water up behind him. As he turned back towards the dam, peering into the distance ahead, he didn't like what he saw.

"Again!" Simon grunted. "We're getting there..."

Tony paused, frowning. He'd heard a sound he'd never heard in his life before, but somehow he knew what it was. He looked up at the dam head, high above them... the paddle levers on the sluice gate were creaking, and beginning to move. Simon followed his glance, and they looked at each other in grim alarm. Tony spoke softly. "Get out of here, Simon." He gave the post another hefty kick to reinforce his words.

"No. Keep going." Push...

The water was arcing out and splashing down onto the spillway beside them.

"Get out. Go save your son." Kick.

"What about you?" Push.

"I don't matter. Get out." Kick... water overflowing from the channel, around his back and Simon's ankles...

"Screw you don't matter. One more." Kick.

The post came free, as the sluice opened fully and the water foamed down in all its power. The timber dropped down; Tony, lying on his back had nothing to hold on to, and it knocked him over the edge into the channel. Simon, holding onto the wheel, realised that the tumbling darker shape amidst the crashing water wasn't doing anything to save itself, swore, and jumped into the torrent after his friend.

Doris let out a blasting neigh of alarm, and galloped off down the track after them.

**AN: A horse wouldn't be that smart? This one would. **


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Thanks again to all the people who've reviewed who weren't logged in; including anyone I left out in previous chapters. I'm grateful to all!**

Cowboy Tony Rides Again

Chapter 6

"Ah... dammit, no..." Gibbs looked to the right as he drove uphill, seeing a flash of energetic white moving in the corner of his eye. The river had risen suddenly, and was leaping and foaming over the stones of its bed – a pleasant sight on another day; looked like he'd just got across the ford in time. The sluice had been opened... on his agent... which meant that the baddies had gone to FDA – and were in control. He brought the truck to a shuddering halt... if it had had a memory it would have complained bitterly at receiving that treatment for the second time in one day. He squinted up towards the dam; there was no sign of the two men; water from the spillway channel was overflowing and streaming around the valve platform, which was empty. DiNozzo was in the water somewhere. So was Townley...

A dark shape came hurtling down the trail... When she saw him, Doris rocked back on her haunches and skidded to a halt, forelegs stiff in front of her. Gibbs eased gently out of the truck, and she came to him, trembling. "Hey... easy, ol' girl..."

NCISNCISNCIS

Adam Peter Townley, aged nine, stood silently, his body rigid, watching the monitor, where he'd seen his friend knocked into the surging water, and his father following moments later. His head and side still hurt where the gun had poked them, and he still trembled with fear and fury, after hearing the order given to drown the two men on the dam. They were both beyond the camera's range now, but still the boy watched, in a dreadful mixture of pride and terror. Dad had jumped in there deliberately... he'd gone after Tony.

Adam had had growing up forced on him in the course of a year; dealing with the sudden, shocking death of his Mom, and his grief and pain... talking himself out of the unfair way he'd been blaming his Dad – which alone had given him maturity beyond his years although he didn't realise it. Missing her, changing schools, settling into a new life... it had been a _huge_ year...

Now he was the son of a fearless newspaper man, (sometimes he imagined his Dad in a trench-coat and fedora, carrying one of those cameras with lots of squares and angles and brass bits,) and he had to be fearless as well. He was worried about Mary too... she wouldn't put up with what was happening to her dams, but the bad guys had three guns, and they'd all been pointed at her just now.

He hated Eames with a passion. He was sick of the man's callous attitude, loud mouth and arrogance, and the way his two henchmen toadied to him, accepting his orders as if he were worthy of it. Adam Peter Townley, aged nine, could see he wasn't.

The water continued to tumble down the channel, and although the camera was quite high above it, and shielded, the picture was still distorted from time to time by a splash, until the liquid slid off the coated lens. Eames and co. unconsciously gave more attention to peering at it; Adam realised there was nothing more to see, and turned away. His heart lurched as he saw Tim watching him; the young agent's eyes widening in warning. His arm was reaching round the corner of the monitor to where he'd put his gun, but Adam didn't know how he was going to deal with _three_ bad guys... He swallowed anxiously, and gave Tim a slight smile, then looked away in case anyone else noticed.

Smart kid, Tim thought, and made a mental note to remember to tell him so when he could.

Now... he was sure Ziva was around somewhere, because if she'd gone to the dam with Simon she'd have told him, and he'd probably have seen her on the monitor, joining the men in the water. Since she hadn't called at all, he was also sure she knew what was going on, and didn't want to alert Eames to her existence. He hoped he'd given her long enough to decide what to do, because he couldn't let this go on any longer.

Looking back, Adam Peter Townley, aged nine, couldn't say if he'd acted deliberately or if it just happened because he hoped something would. He thought maybe he_ had_, out of anger, because if he'd stopped to think about it first he wouldn't have dared to move. At any rate, it all happened faster than he could describe...

Ty decided to change the angle of the camera, and lifted his hands to his keyboard, forgetting that _he_ was being watched as well as his monitors.

"What are you doing?" Eames shouted, and took a step forward, only to go crashing down as he fell over Adam's suddenly outstretched crutch. He landed on his gun, and was fortunate it didn't discharge underneath him; whatever, he couldn't use it where it was. Tim snatched up his Sig and yelled "Don't move!" and Liddell probably wouldn't have done; but Eisley snarled something about two of them. Joel threw himself across Eames to prevent him getting up, as Scott Milner and Mary both tried to shield Adam, and Eisley raised his gun.

"I said don't move," Tim repeated. He really, really didn't want to shoot two men dead in front of a child, but he might just have to... he aimed very obviously between Eisley's eyes, and the barrel of his gun didn't waver, but he could still see the idiot's inner debate going on. His finger tightened on the trigger – then a bullet crashed into the wooden floor at the guy's feet, not so far from Harvey Eames' nose, making him squeal like a girl, and push his face into the varnished boards. A voice from the doorway said sweetly, "You would be well advised to heed what you are told." Two guns clattered to the floor.

"_Thank_ you," Tim said heavily. "Ziva, where the _hell_ have you been?"

The Israeli's mouth opened in outrage, then she saw Tim's grin, and her face softened. "You are welcome, McGee."

Mary scooped up the fallen weapons and aimed them both as if she meant it. Tim allowed himself the briefest of inner smiles... in the jeans and plain shirt that were her work gear, she looked like a pocket size Calamity Jane. Tony would have approved. Tony...He glanced very briefly towards Ty, and said urgently, "Close -"

"Done," Ty said calmly. "It takes time for them to close fully; but they're both responding. Sluice and pipeline."

Ziva asked just as calmly, "How is the dam?"

"No worse than it was," Ty said. "There wasn't time for the coffee spoon to start stirring."

"Good," Tim said, cuffing the two standing men. "I'd say nice work... but I can't until we know what's happened to Tony... and your Dad, Adam." He gripped the boy's shoulder briefly. "Don't worry, we'll find them... Now, Mr. Eames, let me see your hands, and they'd better be empty..."

"What do you mean, Tim? What has this man done?"

Something about the tone of the dark woman's voice had the would-be millionaire whimpering as he lay face down on the floor.

NCISNCISNCIS

The water was icy cold; its roaring in his ears was deafening, and as disorientating as its tumbling and buffeting. There was no hope of achieving right-way-up; every time what was left of his consciousness thought it had worked out where that was, another blow from whatever it was that kept hitting him would scramble the thought again. He had no idea if he'd reached the bottom of the dam yet, but one persistent thought reminded him that if it weren't for all the nasty, brutal water, he'd reach... have reached the bottom with a broken neck. You don't fall half-way down a sixty foot high precipice... did he really think that word... and survive without a cushion...

The side of his head hurt – he knew the sleeper... post... thing... had hit him; his arm hurt, maybe the same reason... things kept whacking him all over... he had to get out of this, save Simon... what sort of agent was he if he went back to that nice kid and told him he hadn't protected his Dad properly...

Jeanne's face hovered in front of him, not always the same way up that he was, coming and going, her hair floating around her in the water. The smile he'd loved was distorted into a mocking grin. _'What sort of agent, Tony? Liar... cheat... good at that – but you can't do your real job properly...' _

He thought he shook his head in weak protest, but in the water he couldn't be sure. His mouth was full of the stuff, he'd inhaled some before he remembered he'd been under water when he'd stupidly tried to breathe, and whenever his head broke the surface and he tried to grab some air, he'd get another bellyfull as he went under again.

Her lovely face twisted._ 'You really __**are**__ useless... why don't you just stop trying...'_ Yes, he really was... that was a good idea... his arms and legs were so heavy he just didn't want to keep moving them. The tumbling seemed to have stopped, and a great current was carrying him... somewhere. He felt drowsy; he'd let go and sleep, it'd be easier all round to just fade away...

His consciousness was actually bottoming out before that tiny spark that had always gotten him through before finally flared... he recognised it for what it was – Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo wasn't a quitter, whatever else he was. Lying shit, heartbreaker, but not quitter... Whatever music there was to be faced in life he'd never, _ever_ shrank from it... He struck what he _thought_ was strongly for where he _thought_ the surface was, but it hurt, oh _god_ it hurt, and he realised it was too late. Even as he began to fight, consciousness left him.

NCISNCISNCIS

Simon hadn't had the benefit of a timber balk wrapping itself round his head, and he _had_ gone body-surfing, inadvertently, with the whole of his patrol, in full kit, down a river in Bosnia... learned a lot that day. He was shorter than Tony, and more stockily built, and for once was grateful for his lower centre of gravity. He spread his arms and legs wide and rode down on his butt until he reached the bottom of the dam, then pulled his knees up sharply because he didn't know how shallow the water might be, for all its fury. There was no sign of Tony, and he really hadn't liked the glimpses he'd caught of him before he'd disappeared, limbs flopping, no sign of strength or even awareness.

_Adam could have died of hypothermia in that pit before anyone thought to look for him up at Belinda's Mill. 'I don't matter'... The freaking blazes you don't, DiNozzo, what the hell's up with you... you're the guy who saved my son's life... listened to my woes in a diner like you'd been my friend all **your** life... And now you're wanting me to sacrifice you for him..._

_Where the hell are you? _

The channel had ended and joined up with the main river, and he pushed his feet down, tentatively, but couldn't feel the bottom. This wasn't good... Tony could be only feet away, below the surface somewhere, and he had no way of knowing. Think... the ferocity of the water had diminished now it had more room to spread out, but its speed hadn't. Simon raked a hand through his hair to push it off his face and get rid of the water that was running into his eyes, and tried to focus on what was ahead. The river made a sharp curve, and where it carved into the bank at the widest point, something floated. Simon began to swim furiously.

Gibbs didn't know where to look, and decided to trust Doris. She'd been on her way down the dirt road, so he swung up into the saddle and waited to see what she'd do. She shot off from a standing start and almost unseated him, and again, he said "Easy, girl..." He didn't try to slow her though, as his eyes searched the channel. They reached the outflow into the river, and she followed the bank on downwards without hesitation. A moment later he saw what she'd seen further down-stream.

The tall agent was floating more or less on his back, his face sometimes going below the surface, the water pressing him against the bank but bumping him further along bit by bit. Simon reached him just before the current carried them both back out into mid-stream again. He growled wordlessly... the flow hadn't decreased – what was taking them so long? He was tiring too quickly from fighting the cold; the force of the water was exhausting, and fear wasn't helping. He pulled the unconscious – he hoped – man against him, holding his head out of the water, and tried to feel for a pulse in his neck as they rode the current.

A feeble hand batted his away. "'m alive... I think... Dammit... said go rescue your son... y'know...sluice opening... means the bad guys're... in charge.. why'd ya choose me over him?"

Moving surreally fast in the middle of a river, Simon swore in exasperation. "Trusting your friends to do that, DiNozzo! What the hell is it with you? Why would I leave you? Why would you want me to?"

"Long story..." Tony's face hit the water again, and again Simon hauled him up,

The flow was easing a little, Simon thought hopefully, and his hopes fell again as he realised that there was absolutely no levelling out of the undercut banks for him to climb out, bruised and weary as he was, let alone drag his barely responsive friend with him. He tried pushing his feet down again, but although he occasionally felt a scrape along the bottom, it was pretty random. Maybe he could just keep them riding the surge until the banks levelled out... if he didn't give out himself first...

Something was right there in the water in front of him... again he pushed wet strands out of his eyes and peered ahead... a silver haired Marine, sitting on a big brown horse, up to _his_ knees in the river, let alone hers.

Doris stood like a rock. That current wasn't going to budge her an inch, not even when the two floating bodies brought up hard against her flank. She huffed anxiously; one of these two was her human, but he didn't really look, or smell like he usually did... there was that red smell that always meant trouble... it was faint, but she recognised it.

Gibbs spoke to her soothingly, even as he reached down and pulled DiNozzo up over his own saddle. "Take him," Simon said breathlessly. "I'll find somewhere to climb out."

The other former Marine rolled his eyes. "Not leaving ya. Just hang onto the latigo," he said practically. "Doris'll take care of it. Go, girl..."

The big brown Morgan turned carefully, and picked her way downstream. Gibbs left her to it, hanging onto Tony with one hand, and gripping the rapidly fading Simon Townley's elbow with his other. The younger man sighed with relief a few minutes later when he felt ground under his feet, and Doris led him out of the water over a low, stony beach. His knees gave way as he reached the grass verge beside the dirt track.

Gibbs slid off over Doris's haunches, and gently lowered his SFA down beside him. He ran a careful eye over the brown horse, who seemed fine. He rubbed her nose fondly. "DiNozzo'd want me to take care of her," he said inconsequentially. He took the two blankets down from her saddle, and draped one round the younger marine's shoulders. "Might be an idea to take a few wet layers off," he advised, and as Simon nodded wearily and began to struggle with slippery buttons, Gibbs set about getting Tony out of his jacket and shirt, ignoring sporadic, feeble, incoherent protests. He wrapped the blanket round him, and barked "Just shut up and stay there, Tony," pretty sure that the use of his first name would be enough to get his second in command's co-operation. "Doris, watch him!"

He handed Simon his cell phone. "River's going down... should think that means Adam's safe," he said. "Call who you like... including paramedics..." A cross between a mumble and a whine came from Tony's direction; Doris moved closer. "Ignore him. I'm going back up the trail for the truck – be five minutes." He set off up the hill at a run.

Doris put her nose down and nudged Tony. He groaned, and began to lift his right hand vaguely to pat her, but his arm really hurt so he had to use his left. "Sorry, gal, I guess the sugar's all gone..." She stayed close anyway, as he slumped down again. He couldn't work out which bit of him hurt worst, so he settled for lying still and not provoking anything. As if feeling emotionally freaked wasn't bad enough, he now had physically lousy to contend with too, and any time now he'd be having a hoard of sadistic EMTs sicced on him. Wonderful. He bit back a groan.

Simon tucked the blanket tighter around him, and pulled the one Gibbs had given him closely around his own shoulders, just as Gibbs phone rattled in his hand.

"Boss? Fornell's just turned up... did you find -"

"Agent McGee... it's Simon Townley... is Adam safe? Mary? All of you?" A few moments of explanation each way, and everyone knew as much as everyone else. Simon repeated aloud just about everything Tim said, and at first the young agent wondered why, but then realised it must be for Tony's benefit."I'll call the paramedics – tell Tony we'll be with you in maybe fifteen minutes," he said.

"That's good... tell Adam I'm proud of him..."

"I'll do that," Tim said, and rang off. Simon sat looking at the phone, sick with relief. A shaky voice at his side said "Fornell, huh? Poor Toby... missed all the fun... course, he'll get all the credit..." Tony laughed. The laugh was followed by a prolonged bout of coughing and retching, and Simon rolled his friend onto his side to make it easier for him to get rid of the river water from his stomach and bronchi. He even found himself patting the other man's back, like he did with Adam when he had a cough.

In the end, Tony fell back, wearily. He supposed he needed to see a doctor... he didn't want to even think about pretty young women in scrubs, hospitals, exploding cars... _'Who are you? Who?' _He lay unmoving, but his aura of misery must have projected about ten feet out from his body. _S_uck it up, DiNozzo.

He became aware of Simon Townley's silent, thoughtful regard; he could feel it through closed eyelids. He raised them slowly, to find the Marine, hunched over, pale faced, and battered himself, looking down at him with a mildly anxious, very puzzled expression.

Tony frowned slightly, and rasped, "What?"

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Again, I must thank, as well as the people who left their names, those who left kind reviews but were not signed in. I'd love to be able to thank you personally, but as I naturally respect your desire for anonymity, I have to thank you this way for your continuing, lovely support.**

**Also an apology... Regular friends will know that one of the things I'm paranoid about is credibility – reading back over chapter 6 I think having someone black out at the bottom of a river then come back to the surface anyway may be hoping for a lot... in my efforts to be dramatic I think I went OTT there. I meekly ask you, rather than me having to go back in and change it all, to remember I know nothing about hydrodynamics, and to ASSUME that the current brought him back up... (blushes)**

**Thanks to to Angel for a great phrase, which I shamelessly borrowed!**

Cowboy Tony Rides Again

Chapter 7

Huddled under his blanket, shivering and thinking he should get up and walk round to warm himself, Simon chose to stay down on the grass beside Tony instead. He looked at him with his head on one side. "What? Hey, you tell me, cuz I don't know where to begin. Not sure either of us have the energy anyway..."

Tony nodded. "Mmm... 'bout... out myself... you OK?"

"I expect I will be with some dry underwear. You were floating... your face kept going under and you didn't stop it. I thought you were dead, dammit."

"So'd I..." His chest heaved constantly with the effort of just drawing breath, let alone speaking. Two words, gasp, another two words, damn, he hated it. The bout of retching had dislodged the blanket, and he was grateful to have the warmth back when Simon reached over again and pulled it round him. "Decided I wanted... t'live... on way down..."

Simon's eyes widened, and rather than explode, he got up slowly and deliberately onto his knees, got his hands under Tony's shoulders and hauled him over to a half-buried boulder. He propped him up against it, and then this time had to re-wrap _both _of them in their blankets that had been dragged off. His feeling of unease was growing, but he kept his face expressionless. "Decided you wanted to live on the way down... so... stop me if I'm _wrong_, but up to then you wanted to _die_?"

Tony coughed and spluttered again, as more river came up. "No, not... not that specific... just didn't care." _Why was he opening his big mouth like this?_

"I really want to know what's going on with you, Tony. So... you were sinking, and you _didn't care..._ and then you just decided, hey, no problem, changed my mind... to swim back up again..."

The agent leaned his head back against the rock and looked vaguely up at the clear sky. "No... no... tried to... too late... blacked out."

"Then how..."

"No idea." He'd let his guard down, and already said far too much; OK, he _wasn't _so far gone that he actively wanted to die, whatever the watery river nymph Jeanne had told him, but now he'd gone and put that anxious tone in the Marine's voice. He didn't deserve to be worried over. His vision began to blur and he didn't fight it, but drifted off again. Simon heaved at his shoulders to prevent him keeling over, just as a bright red, glaringly overdressed Buick Enclave came blundering up the hill. Driven by Mary Lesniak, it stopped some yards away in deference to Doris's feelings.

NCISNCISNCIS

_Harvey Eames was beginning to get his bluster back now that the Israeli woman who'd scared him so thoroughly was doing other things. These new guys who'd appeared on the scene were FBI, and he heard their leader giving orders, after a suggestion from McGee for his business records to be taken as evidence. Eames knew it was only a matter of time before his creative accounting was discovered, including what he'd extracted to pay his 'terrorists', and as his heart sank sickly into his boots, he had to lash out at someone. Scott Milner, waiting patiently to give his statement to the FBI, was an easy target. As an FBI agent began to steer Eames towards the door, he stopped and got in his face._

"_You yellow, chicken livered jerk... if you'd had the guts to take your chance, you could have been rich! They'd never have found out if you hadn't come running down here crying your eyes out, wetting your pants – I swear I'll get you somehow for this you asshole... you ruined -"_

"_Excuse me," Tim McGee said coldly, as he stepped between the two, "You do realise, don't you, that we knew exactly what you were doing way before Mr. Milner came to warn us -"_

"You couldn't have -"

"_Well, Mr. Eames, what do you think we were doing here? We've arrested your men up at Beaver, we know about the accords, we know about all that land you've been buying, and we have a witness who heard you up on New Dam last night -"_

"What? You're lying... There wasn't anyone up there – I mean – "

_Tim was allowing himself a little enjoyment now he knew the dam, and Tony, were safe, (although of course 'safe' still needed to be quantified where the SFA was concerned,) and he said cheerfully, "Oh yes, two if you count the horse. But thank you for confirming that you were there." Poor Harvey was starting to look slightly wild-eyed, and Tim went cold again. "Mr. Eames, you've just attempted to murder a Federal Agent and a resident of the town, to cause the destruction of that town, without any regard for its citizens, and planned to kill all of us here in this room. So now I'm adding threatening behaviour to Mr. Milner to the list of charges, and if I ever hear of any hint of harm coming to him, you'll be the first person I visit in prison – I hope that's clear." He didn't wait for an answer, and smiled wolfishly. "You can take him now, Agent Rawdon." The FBI man returned the predatory grin, and pushed Eames towards the door. _

_Ziva smiled her approval at Tim, holding her phone out from her ear, as a male voice, strident with anxiety, emerged from it. "Please wait. I will find out." She looked across at Ty Frodsham. "Your Police Chief wishes to know if it is really safe for people to return to the town," she said._

"_I think," Ty replied thoughtfully, "that we should boost the levels up at Beaver and New Dam, and keep running it down here, until Old Lake's as low as we can get away with, just to reassure everyone." He looked over at Mary, who grinned, if a little tensely. She made no secret of the fact that she deferred to his judgement on such things, and her mind was a bit elsewhere. Ty grinned back, and added, "Yes, it's safe." As Ziva nodded her thanks, and turned back to her phone, the engineer looked Mary in the eye. "Well, go on then."_

"_Go on?" _

"_You know what I mean. Me and Joel'll look after the system. Tim and Ziva are dealing with the rest of it... you get up to New Dam and find out how Simon is." His tone was loaded, and she pretended to look blank. "He says he's proud of Adam... let him tell him himself."_

_Mary frowned slightly. "Mmm... Gibbs has got our truck... my car's at home..."_

_A gravelly voice said airily from the doorway, "There's a big red thing out there you could take, its owner won't be needing it today, keys are in it." Tobias Fornell jerked his thumb back towards the door as he walked in. "No wonder that poor thing's bright red. I'd be embarrassed if I was tarted up like that."_

NCISNCISNCIS

With a quick glance at Tony to check that he didn't simply flop over on his side again, Simon stood up as the Flying Tomato lurched to a halt. Mary and Adam piled out, and flung themselves into his arms. It was almost enough to knock him over, and he leaned into the hug to keep himself upright, as they all spoke at once of their relief, and their pride.

The blanket had fallen from his shoulders yet again as he stood up; after a long moment Mary realised she was clinging to a very damp, half-naked, well muscled former Marine, and enjoying the sensation. She went a bit pink, and backed off hastily; so did Simon. If they could have read each other's thoughts they'd have saved themselves a bit of time, and Adam a lot of hinting...

_'Is it too soon, Jess? Should I even be thinking about another woman? You know I loved you...'_

_'Back off, Lesniak... you can't be all over him... you can't replace his wife...'_

Adam broke the moment by exclaiming "Tony!" and dropping down beside the man slumped on the ground. His father knelt back down on the other side of the agent's legs, and found himself regarded sleepily. He read accurately the lazy glance of amusement in DiNozzo's eyes, and the quirk to the corner of his mouth; damn, the guy was observant, even on his back... and clearly _he_ didn't think it was too soon. Neither did Adam, but..._ focus, Townley._

"We have to get you two down the mountain," Mary said with a calmness she didn't feel, taking in Simon's white face and slight tremor, and Tony's lethargy. "The ambulance can't get up here... I shouldn't even have brought that thing... the suspension can't take it..."

"And it's... enough to scare... Doris into fits..." Tony muttered. "Don't need an amb...

"The hell you don't, DiNozzo," Gibbs said from somewhere above their heads. No-one had noticed the truck rolling quietly to a halt on the grass, or the Boss's quiet approach. Tony didn't argue; his head lolled, he was out of it again. Simon suppressed a frown of annoyance, and tried to figure out what it was about, but Gibbs was barking orders. "Leave it here. Eames's car, right? Leave it here until someone can be bothered to fetch it. Let's get DiNozzo in the back of the truck. You need to get yourself checked out too, Townley."

"I'm fine," Simon said flatly, and Gibbs winced inside himself. _Dammitall, another one... _

Tony roused himself enough to try, unsuccessfully, to help as they manhandled him into the back of the truck, and Gibbs was forcibly reminded of a scene at Belinda's Secret, a year ago. Here they were again... Tony talking to his horse instead of him... he thought they'd been finding their way back to the working relationship – hell, the friendship they'd had before he'd taken off for Mexico... but Jen's scheming, and DiNozzo's determination to – for once – just blindly follow orders and not tell him – had set things back so far that another talk was needed – the one he'd been steadfastly avoiding.

He'd thought they were doing fine up at Beaver Dam this morning, but it didn't mean he could put things off. He'd _thought_ things would be fine after Tony burned that letter, but he'd not stopped to consider, because he didn't deal with such things any more - that broken-hearted doesn't vanish overnight._ And hell, Jethro, __**you**__ should have remembered that! _

He looked at the white face, labouring chest and screwed up eyes, and reminded himself that urgency was the thing here, not wandering, guilty thoughts. DiNozzo's lungs, the suspect damn things that were fine as long as he was, but that went AWOL first sign of a cough or a cold, how much water might be still in there? And there was the busted arm they'd tried not to jar as they moved him. He'd ride to the hospital with him, wait, with no patience at all for as long as it took until the medics said it was OK, and then finally try to talk up some damage repair. _Yeah, that's__** talk**__, Jethro. _He folded his jacket, put it under Tony's head, tucked the errant blanket in yet again, and barked at Mary, "I'll drive."

Three hot pairs of eyes turned on him. "My truck, Agent Gibbs. You think I don't know how to drive it down my mountain?"

Adam just glared.

Simon began to figure what he was annoyed about. _I really want to know what's going on with you, Tony'..._

He liked Tony... his son liked him, and Adam was a real good judge of character. So was Mary... After the Fed had saved his son up on that mountain... no, couple of months before that, in that diner... he'd actually been reminded of his brother Marines. Here was a guy who once he became your friend, would be a good one... an enduring one... the best. But all their efforts to become, and then stay friends, had been frustrated by DiNozzo's job... long hours, undercover stuff... a boss who made heavy demands on his team, (and from the little Tony had said, a director who made impossible ones;) and what had finally got a good guy to the state where he hit rock bottom at the bottom of a river, where only some trick of the current had saved him, was anybody's guess.

They'd kept in touch, but they'd last managed to actually meet for a coffee during a school break of Adam's, almost a year ago now; and just now Tony had been about to give him a clue as to what had ground him so far down in the time since then. Well, Simon Townley could be a good friend too, and he was going to help, whether DiNozzo liked it or not. And now was the time to start – until the demanding boss had showed up. Barking orders... didn't he know Mary had claws? As the tiny engineer unsheathed them, and Simon wondered whether to step in or step _back_ and watch, it was the exhausted man in the back of the truck who intervened.

"Boss..." It was thready and weak, and Gibbs had to lean over to hear. "Doris..." The patient Morgan stood as close as she dared to the truck, looking across, ears pricked.

Simon was astonished at the instant understanding, and Gibbs' reaction. He squeezed his SFA's shoulder reassuringly, and spoke gently. "Sure, Tony. Don't worry, I'll take her home. Take good care of her for you. I'll come soon as I've done that, OK?"

"Thanks, Boss..."

Gibbs patted the other man's shoulder again, and turned back to Mary, his attitude completely different. "No, Ma'am, don't think that at all." He looked at Simon. "You _do_ need to get checked out, Marine," he said quietly. "Will you go with him?"

Somewhere way down at the bottom of the track, an ambulance siren was switched on briefly, then off again. The EMTs were waiting. "I intend to," Simon said just as softly, climbed into the truck-bed, and sat down gratefully, hoping the tremor in his legs would stop. Hell, he hurt all over. Adam went to join him, but he put his hand on his boy's shoulder and said, "Son, I'm fine. I'll look after Tony. Will you look after Mary for me?" Adam looked dubious; he knew he was being played, but didn't know why – but he trusted his Dad so he didn't argue. As he got into the cab, Gibbs closed the tailgate and went to rub Doris's nose, and Mary moved the truck off down the trail. The last Simon saw of Gibbs was as the big brown mare headed up the trail over the ridge to the Duet side of the mountain and home.

Tony coughed, and threw up a small amount of water, but didn't attempt to talk, too miserable to bother. Simon braced himself against the side of the truck, as Mary found the smoothest way down the trail, and wrapped his arms around Tony from behind to act as a human shock absorber. _That_ produced a reaction.

"I'm OK... look after... yourself..."

Simon snorted. He was quiet for a moment, then took a deep breath. "Don't talk. You'll be more comfortable in a minute, there'll be oxygen available and lots of people who know how to deal with klutzes who try to inhale a whole river." He went for funny, because he knew it was how his unwilling listener dealt with things, and anyway there was no point in even thinking of what he knew about untreated freshwater drowning. They'd be in time. He hoped they'd be in time.

"I'll tell you a story to keep you occupied... so don't interrupt. A bit over a year ago, a grieving Marine, with a grieving son who refused to relate to him, or anyone, met a helpful stranger in a diner. This friendly Fed understood how the Marine was feeling, and promptly, out of the blue, gave him a way back to relating with his son. Few weeks later... same Fed rescues the Marine's son, when no-one else even knows where to look. Have I got your attention? A grunt will do..."

"Grunt," Tony whispered.

"Smartarse. O-Kay... So it's only in the aftermath of all that that the Marine realises the Fed's got issues of his own. That he never breathed a word about." He went serious. "Tony, when Mary called me and said you were here, I really hoped to see things had changed – although the fact that every time we tried to meet up for a beer, one of your higher-ups had urgent need of you should have told me something... anyways, the story so far is that I'm going to get to the bottom of this."

"This?"

"Don't talk, breathe. I don't mean now, we need to get you fixed... and I'd quite like to avoid contracting pneumonia myself..." he had no idea why the other man shuddered, "but – I want to know why you got close to wanting to die today."

Tony shook his head. "I said... not that... specific..."

"I know."

There were blue lights flashing at the bottom of the trail, as Mary brought the truck gently to a halt. The back doors of the ambulance were open, with a highly competent pair of paramedics sitting on the step. As the truck stopped the man and woman sprang to their feet. "I remember. Shh. Stop moving that arm. OK, didn't care. I'm giving you fair warning, as a friend, that I'm going to find out. And I'm going to help. Whether you like it or not. Even if it's Gibbs who's responsible. Hell... especially if it's Gibbs who's responsible."

As Mary and the EMTs lowered the tailgate, Tony shook his head again, and raised cloudy green eyes to meet Simon's defiant blue ones.

"No... not Gibbs' fault..."

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Thank you again, all the people who weren't logged in.**

**Apologies for not much Tony , but everyone's talking about him!**

Cowboy Tony Rides Again

Chapter 8

Ziva put a finger in one ear, in order to hear the voice on the phone that was clamped to the other, as a convoy of vehicles drove off with the arrestees from both dams. A driver decided to use his siren, and the other two cars joined in. Fornell, watching from the doorway, rolled his eyes.

"I understand. Thank you, Mary." Ziva disconnected, and looked at the others. "Mary and Adam have followed the ambulance," she told them. "Gibbs has taken Doris home, at Tony's insistence."

"He's OK, then?"

"I do not know, Tim. But clearly he is conscious. Simon has gone to be checked out as well."

Ty grimaced. "I could have killed them both," he said harshly. "If I could have maybe opened the sluice more slowly... but it only _has_ one speed... what could I -"

"Mr. Frodsham," Ziva said, "From what Agent McGee has told me, you had absolutely no choice. You could not let them hurt a child; there was no other possible action. Do not blame yourself for what was forced on you – the one at fault is the one who gave the order. And he has just commenced the long process of paying for it."

Ty found the Mossad officer's formal way of speaking intriguing, and she made her last remark sound like a judge handing down a ninety-nine year sentence, which mesmerised the engineer so much he forgot his misplaced guilt. Ziva caught Tim's impressed, eyebrows-raised grin, but was quite puzzled as to what she'd done to deserve it.

Fornell turned back towards them, jerking his head towards the departing police cars. "Same old story... They're peeved that feds have come along and taken over. Attempted murder of a Federal Agent, and a former member of the services, to say nothing of attempted manipulation of a Federal Authority – nice work digging out those accords, McGee – makes it our business. They'll hold them in town until I can get them picked up." His tone actually softened a little. "So, DiNozzo's OK?"

"We think so."

"Hmmph. What sort of mood's Gibbs in? And who's Doris?"

"I have not spoken to Gibbs; he gave Simon his cell phone. I will call the Frames if you wish." Poor Tobias looked blank. "Doris is Tony's horse, and the Frames are friends of his, who run the riding establishment where he keeps her."

"_Tony's horse._ DiNozzo has a horse," Fornell said heavily.

"She was instrumental in the rescue," Ziva said cheerfully, enjoying the look on their favourite adversary, or was that colleague's face. "And when he has attended to her, Gibbs will take Tony's car to the hospital. We should go there too, unless you wish us to give statements now."

"I'm sure if you email me copies of your reports that'll do fine," Tobias said. "Agents Sacks and Rawdon will take statements from Mr. Frodsham and Mr. Hawkes, and, er -"

"Ross Macklin," Joel supplied. "He's walking the lake perimeters right now, checking... he'll be down soon. He found that plank, floating at the top end of Old Lake – he pulled it out, and we can collect it later with the truck if you want it as evidence. He found a a whole cuff of Tony's shirt caught in it, so there's no doubt it's the right plank – not that we'd expect to find two railway sleepers in our lake on the same day."

Fornell actually smiled. "Good thinking. Not the weirdest evidence I've ever had, but comes close. OK, Sacks can decide how to take charge of that. Guess I'll go to the hospital and take statements from Ms. Lesniak and the Townleys, then we're all done and I can go -" His phone shrilled. He listened, and frowned. "Where?" He looked around for something to write on, and Joel pushed a FDA ball-point and a notepad towards him. "OK... yeah... no, tell them to do nothing." He put his phone back in his pocket with a grunt of anger, and everyone else looked at him curiously.

"Something is wrong, Agent Fornell?" Ziva asked.

"Our friendly neighbourhood LEOs... spotted someone who looked like our three that got away, at a service station near Duet. They went in there with a lot of sirens and shouting; the upshot is the guys are inside with the counter clerk as hostage. They sound thoroughly nervous and spooked apparently..."

"Damn," Tim said. "I was rather hoping to go to the hospital... never mind. Will you tell Gibbs we'll be there soon?"

Both Tobias and Ziva looked at him in some surprise, and the truth was, his decisiveness surprised him; but only a little... what else would Gibbs – or Tony – expect of him?

"I'll do that," Fornell said amenably.

"Keep us posted," Ty added.

Tim nodded. Outside, he took his life in his hands. "You drive," he told Ziva.

NCISNCISNCIS

Four riders coming up the trail... all experienced horsemen by the looks of them. Gibbs didn't recognise anyone, but he did recognise Jezebel, the red-head mare who'd tried to give him a hard time. He moved over, but they pulled up and exchanged greetings. Gibbs saw that the man riding Jezebel was looking at Doris curiously, and he raised an enquiring eyebrow. The man grinned. "No offence... but that's surely Tony's horse. She doesn't let just anyone ride her... nor does Amos. Or DiNozzo."

Gibbs wondered how to answer, and patted Doris's neck while he thought. "I work with DiNozzo... he got caught up in something else, asked me to take Doris home. She and I are old friends, aren't we, girl." The mare huffed amiably, and they all went on their respective ways again. "You're something else, Doris... you don't let just anybody ride you, but you waded into a raging river because I asked you to. And somehow, the way you came down that trail... it was to save Tony. You trusted me to do that." He shook his head... he was getting worse than DiNozzo for flights of fancy.

But she was steadfast, just like he was, and Gibbs was lucky to know them both...

Had he done right? He'd wanted to give him space; he'd seen the lost look in his SFA's eyes as he stood in that baby's room, and then he'd overdone it with the Heidi thing. Dammit, when he'd heard DiNozzo say how much he was going to hate that job, he'd taken a perverse pleasure in giving it to him anyway – that'd teach him to take Jenny's orders over his... Dammit again, what choice did Tony have? Why wasn't he on _Jenny's_ case, not Tony's? And as for giving him space... Why hadn't he dragged him home last night and got him drunk? Been there for him?

"Aahhh, shit..." He hadn't realised he'd spoken aloud until he saw a brown ear rotate towards him. "I can't win, Doris... if I had done, a whole town would be dead right now! And that's supposed to make me feel better."

The Morgan's shod hooves clattered on the cobbled stone as she moved from the track onto the yard, and Sally emerged almost at once from the tack room. "So now are you going to explain, To-"

She stopped stock still, and stared at Gibbs for a long moment, then let out a long-held breath. "He got hurt again, didn't he."

Gibbs slid out of the saddle, and Sally's experienced eyes took in the water marks, on the leather, the riders jeans, and in Doris's brown coat. On the point of asking (demanding with a side order of accusing, she told Amos later,) what happened, she saw the weariness and distress on the Marine's face, and waited.

"Can we fix Doris first, Miz Frame? I promised Tony I would."

They unsaddled her, and rubbed her down in almost silence, only speaking to fuss her, until Sally asked softly about the water mark.

"She was a heroine," Gibbs told her. "She might be a bit unsettled after it all..."

Sally nodded thoughtfully. "We'll turn her out with Bugs and Elmer," she said. "They're as steady as rocks, and they love her." She gathered a pocketful of apples, and Gibbs and Doris both followed her meekly down to the far paddock, where a great big bay mule with buck teeth let out a bray of welcome. Another mule looked up, but it was clear from the way he cocked his head to one side that his eyes weren't worth relying on much. When Doris snorted a greeting, he sloped over to the gate, and she went in and greeted her friends. "People don't want to ride mules," Sally said, "It ruins their street cred... their loss, these two are the best there are." After the apples were handed out the three ambled off.

"She'll be fine," Sally said, carefully studying the mare as she moved away. "She's been used to not seeing him for long periods at a time, and she deals with it... but she's never happier than when he's around. She loves him, you see... we all do. Now, Special Agent Gibbs, tell me what happened... and explain to me why, as long as I've known him, that boy has been pretending he wasn't in pieces on the inside."

The first part was easy; Sally Frame's emotions went from incredulity to fury to anxiety to admiration, although she listened in silence as the agent told the story of the day's events. "Last I saw they were on their way to hospital, doin' OK." He paused. "The other thing... don't know where to start. He's never said anything?"

He was alarmed to see tears welling up in Sally's eyes. "Miz Frame?"

"No," she said shakily, and there was a world of bewilderment and frustration in that one word. "Special Agent Gibbs, it's as clear as day, even if your eyesight's only as good as Elmer's, that the boy needs more love than an adolescent Labrador... what has his life _been_ that he'll only dare accept it from a _horse_?"

A lot of things fell into place for Gibbs at that point, and the emotions that fought for priority on a face she'd always considered impassive, made Sally Frame's breath catch in her throat. "Ah," she said finally. "I see I've asked a loaded question. I need a good answer or none at all, and you haven't the time – you need to be there for him, at the hospital." She sighed. "Amos has gone with one of the trail rides – too many inexperienced riders to send out by themselves. If I don't hear from you we'll come as soon as we can after he gets back. I need to know, Gibbs; we can't go on like this."

"A good answer or none at all..." Gibbs sighed. He momentarily debated refusing to talk about his agent behind his back, he'd already had this particular conversation once today; but he saw Sally's point, and steeled himself to reply. "He raised himself, Miz Frame... without love from anyone. The neglect he endured bordered on abuse." He left out the whole Wendy thing, which just made things worse after all. "He... fell in love... got in too deep, lost her... it was never going to happen any other way, but he risked everything because he needed her... I'll tell you what I can if he'll let me, but it's his story."

"Any other way – this was a _case_? She was a criminal?" Sally was outraged. "What sort of job -"

"No... _she_ wasn't. We signed up for this job, Miz Frame – doesn't make it any easier... And you're right, I need to be there for him. I'll... talk to you later, if you come there."

"Oh, we'll be there. Get gone, and look after him."

NCISNCISNCIS

Ziva was still driving, a lot slower than she had been earlier, as Tim sat silently in the passenger seat. Both were deep in thought.

Tim was hearing Tony's voice in his mind saying solemnly, "W.W.G.D., McGee?" Hell, Tony, it _worked_!

Ziva was wondering how the Probie had marched up to the cop in charge of a siege, told him what orders to give his men to contain the scene, and talked three nervy, out of their depth young men into giving up their guns and their hostage, instead of dying in a hail of bullets.

"_You come any nearer, we'll shoot him!"_

"_You know you don't mean that. And I really wouldn't if I were you... you do realise that you're only alive as long as he is? If he dies, the officers will start shooting... and my partner, she's Mossad, she doesn't miss... and if any of you survive, you'll end up in Gitmo."_

"_**Gitmo?" **The voice rose an octave with horror_

_Tim had spread his arms and taken another step towards the store front, while Ziva ground her teeth, as she rested the rifle from the trunk of their sedan on the roof of a police car. "Tim," she hissed, "there is no need to test whether or not your vest will work!" Tim had feigned not to hear._

"_Eames... the guy who hired you... you don't know who hired you, do you? He's under arrest, along with your three friends... we know he chose you for your ethnic group... he was planning to whisper the word 'terrorist'..."_

"_We're not terrorists!"_

"_I know. Just make sure everyone else does. Throw your guns out, and let Mr. Choi walk out unharmed."_

It had been that simple, and Tim still couldn't believe it... and the odd thing was, he was thinking, 'Tony would be proud of me', not 'Gibbs'. W.W.T.D...

Ziva drove gently, her nerves as rattled as his... each step he'd taken closer to the store, had brought him nearer to the range of the handguns – and the hands they were in were rash and unpredictable. But she also knew that seeing the negotiator had been better for them than simply hearing an anonymous voice from a bull-horn... it was the sort of thing Gibbs would do... or Tony...

"You did well, Tim," she broke the silence eventually.

He shrugged. "Loud-hailers... flashing blue lights... just the thing to calm down guys who'd bitten off more than they could chew. And before you lecture me, they'd have had a job shooting me from that range."

"But what if they had had a rifle?"

"I was trusting _you _to deal with that, Ziva."

"Oh."

His phone buzzed. "Simon? Yeah... why? Ah... OK." He disconnected and looked at his driver. "You can speed up, Ziva. We need to be at the hospital. Tony's not doing so well."

NCISNCISNCIS

_There was a drip in Tony's arm, and an oxygen mask over his face, and the EMTs had propped the end of the gurney so he was half sitting up. They were trying to persuade Simon to accept the same treatment, but Tony's eyes held his, full of urgency. "No mask," he said softly, although he held his left arm out. If it made them happy to give him saline, fine. He sat on the end of Tony's gurney however, giving the female EMT a pleading look. "I'll lie down when we start to move... this is important."_

_A muffled agreement came from under Tony's mask._

"_Not Gibbs' fault, huh? A year ago I wouldn't have believed you," Simon told him._

"_Year ago... wouldn't have... bothered to say it."_

"_Don't make him talk," the EMT said reproachfully, but both men shook their heads._

"_So..."_

"_Saying it now... not Gibbs. Made peace. A girl..." _

"_Ah."_

"_Yeah... ah. Don't... let Mary get away... not disloyal... to Jess, and... Adam likes her..." There, he'd said what he needed to say. Underneath the mask Tony's mouth lifted in a smile at the astonishment on Simon's face, but that was it... his eyes fluttered shut again._

"_Mr. Townley, we need to get moving."_

_Simon lay reluctantly down and let them strap him in, and Tony didn't wake up again on the short journey to the emergency room._

NCISNCISNCIS

Gibbs drove slowly towards the small hospital in Appelt, the low grumble of the Mustang a background to his thoughts. He needed to be there for Tony, but he needed to sort out a few things before he saw him.

He recalled his odd feeling of embarrassment at the idea of a horse trusting him... expecting something from him... the sort of story he might have told Kelly, but since he lost her, flights of fancy had no joy for him, and expressing his emotions was next to impossible. Sally's tears, and her simple statement... _she loves him.. we all do... _had moved him, caused him pain on her account; but it had still been unbearably difficult to try and say anything.

He and DiNozzo were opposite sides of the same coin... he'd say nothing, while Tony said far too much, just to avoid having to say the things that mattered.

_He didn't tell me... because he knew I'd put a stop to it with Jen... and he'd lose Jeanne. And he went in deeper and deeper... of course he thought it through, but he kept hoping he could make it work, no matter how impossible it seemed. Like I told Sally Frame, it could only end one way, with Tony the loser anyhows. _

_I remember how I felt... so why didn't I understand just where Tony is right now? He needs more than I gave –_

He winced at his own thoughts from earlier, up at New Dam – broken hearted doesn't vanish overnight. He sighed, not for the first time that day. The missing infant had taken a huge priority over everything; he was always the same when a child was involved... and that was right too – who did children have to defend them if the adults were less than whole-hearted?

He brought the Mustang gently to a stop. The case was done... now it was time to give the child-man who brought himself up the same dedication. _Open your mouth, Jethro, and just say it..._

He went in search of the emergency department, pulling in his horns with every step he took; throwing his weight around and demanding instant answers, wasn't going to help Tony, even if it relieved his feelings. He was about to make his way to the nurses' station, when he saw a familiar figure sitting hunched on a chair in the waiting area; Simon Townley was dressed in scrubs and a hospital robe, and had a drip slung from one of those cumbersome poles that patients had to push round with them. His clasped hands dangled between his knees, and his head was down. He looked neither well nor happy. Gibbs went and sat opposite him.

"Hey... how're ya doing?"

He looked up and answered obliquely, "I can go when the drip's run... Mary and Adam have gone to get me some clothes. I'm fine." He looked Gibbs in the eyes. "Tony... not so good."

TBC

**AN: Is Gibbs too vocal? In his thoughts?**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Thanks to all for the reassurance... astrafiammante for her wise words, and the kind anonymous guest who said that Gibbs says it to _himself,_ and if it makes sense to him, he does it... and many other people who supplied rather profound analyses of the old B... lovely!**

**Thanks, as ever, as I always say, to all who reviewed but weren't logged in.**

**And, as a passionate fan of le Tour de France – on now, which is why you've not been getting fast updates – let me say if you haven't seen Belleville Rendezvous (yes, yes, Tony types, originally titled Les Triplettes de Belleville,) do! (The other film I mentioned in my first AN, Withnail and I has cult status in GB, BR has cult status in Europe, but I've no idea if it's popular in the US or anywhere else – I may be preaching to the converted here.)**

Cowboy Tony Rides Again

Chapter 9

"_We want to wait, Dad!"_

"_I know, Adam... the thing is, I'd like to get out of here first chance I can, and start writing all this up for the News..."_

"_Or resting for a while until you feel up to it," Mary said accusingly, from her position in the doorway of the ambulance._

"_Or resting awhile," Simon added with exaggerated meekness; he loved it when Mary went protective. Stoppit... "But to take either option, I need clothes. And I have no idea where my wet ones went." One of the EMTs laughed, and handed Mary a black plastic sack, (that squished in a disgustingly moist way as she peered into it and put it on the ground,) then moved back to helping her colleague unload the other gurney, where Tony slept quite comfortably under his oxygen mask, his breathing much easier by now._

"_Phew... Looks like Tony's stuff's in here too... Your Dad's right, Adam. Come on, it'll only take five minutes... I need you to show me where to find everything – I can't just be going through his underwear drawer, can I?"_

"_He wouldn't mind," Adam said off-handedly, and his father cringed. "OK, Dad," he added with grown-up reassurance, "we'll be right back." He cast one slightly anxious look at Tony, and went back to the truck with the tiny engineer. Simon sat on his gurney, bare legs dangling over the side, hugging his blanket, until the EMTs came back for him._

Gibbs stayed outwardly calm for Simon Townley's sake; the poor guy looked as though he'd actually chewed right through the end of his tether. "Where's DiNozzo right now?"

"They took him for x-rays, and to set his arm. There was only one emergency team on duty, Gibbs. You can see, it's a tiny hospital. They gave me these scrubs and the robe to wear, and a rather casual check, which was OK, because I'd rather they looked at Tony anyway. They couldn't find any broken bones, and said they'd send someone in to treat the abrasions -"

Gibbs regarded him doubtfully. "They done that?"

"Not so's you'd notice. Maybe they can't find me... They said to rest until the drip had run, and then I could go. So I settled down to just chill until Adam and Mary got back. Tony was in the next cubicle..."

_Lord help anyone who wanted privacy, he thought as he rested his head back on the pillows, trying to will away the pain of a hundred bruises. I can hear every word from next door. Never mind, I want to know how he's doing..._

"_Mr. Dean? Hmm...? Mr Denoes?" The nurse sounded slightly waspish, Simon wasn't clear why, except that she seemed to be putting a gown on Tony, and getting very little co-operation. He could hear his friend's low, morphine-sloshed murmur, but couldn't make out what he was saying. "Can you hear me? What are you laughing about?" The nurse didn't get an answer, and harrumphed. "I'll go and see what's keeping Doctor Froome." Simon heard her sensible shoes clumping out._

_Tony had repeatedly told the paramedics he didn't want the morphine, but they'd persuaded him to take the shot in the end because fighting the pain in his arm wasn't helping his breathing. Now, Simon would have chuckled at the result if things had been different. After a while a grin did creep onto his face... that sound was **singing**, and he understood the why of it._

"_... finir ma vie a Katmandoooo... la la la something un Guroooo..." Tony burbled, "j'veux etre givree... trip-le-ment givree..."_

"I don't think his French is much good, Agent Gibbs... but he likes the film, so he must have picked up some of the song if he's watched it more than once... you know Tony and movies," he trailed off, as Gibbs spread his hands and shook his head blankly.

"'Belleville Rendezvous'... it _is _a good film... French, animation, 2002. Won awards at Cannes..."

Gibbs thoughts, growing uneasier by the moment, found a resting place. Another DiNozzo he thought, for the second time that day... was the world ready for it? No wonder these two hit it off.

"I _knew_ she reminded me of someone... That nurse – she really _does_ look just like one of the triplets... these singers... characters from the movie." He looked round nervously, in case the lady in question should materialise. "Blowsy, toothy, middle-aged, fading." He sighed. "She should have been able to recognise a reaction to morphine if _I _could. But I think she was too busy taking offence."

Gibbs almost smiled. Townley seemed to have something of that talent that Tony had, of connecting facts in an instant. He'd have made a good agent...

_Two sets of footsteps returned after a short while."He either can't or won't answer me, Doctor. There's an abrasion here on his temple; there's possibly concussion if there's been a blow to the head. The EMTs said they were brought down from New Dam in a truck... apparently they fell down the face of it."_

"_Not concussed," Tony's voice said, more strongly than before._

"_Ah, so you're awake, Mr...er... has the paperwork been done, Nurse Kirton?"_

"We'd given our names to the EMTs, and they gave them to the nurses at their station. Beyond that, nobody had asked us anything. At least they didn't want to know if we had the means to pay!"

"_DiNozzo... Anthony DiNozzo... I'm not... concussed. And we didn't... fall... got washed down... by the water." _

_(It wasn't that important, Tony told people later, but the dismissive tone nettled him, since they and their hospital wouldn't still be here but for the efforts of the team, and FDA. And Doris...)_

_Simon frowned in alarm. The morphine was wearing off, the pain was increasing, and Tony's breathing was becoming laboured again._

"_Er... washed down the dam... I see..." The doctor's tone clearly implied that he didn't see, and didn't believe either. "Did you inhale any water?"_

"_A little. I coughed it all up later."_

"_Well, we'll send you for some x-rays, see what that head wound's about... then we'll monitor you for twenty-four hours to check on your lungs; I'll prescribe a sedative to help you to rest -"_

"_No!" That was sharp enough to produce an offended 'oh!' from the nurse. "No sedative."_

"_But Mr. Di... DiNozzo... "_

"I couldn't believe what he said then... Gibbs, is it true he's had pneumonic plague? Fifteen percent survival rate? I mean, I don't disbelieve him, but..."

Gibbs nodded solemnly. "I'll explain later... go on."

"I didn't know... I couldn't say anything. Damn..."

"_I've had Y. Pestis and... recovered. Obviously. I've been taught... exactly how to monitor... my own lungs. I've **not**... got ARDS, and I'll recognise... the slightest signs as long as I **stay awake.** No sedative."_

_The nurse's voice was patronising. "That can't be right, dear, you're upsetting yourself over nothing. Y. Pestis is the plague. Bubonic plague. Nobody gets that, you must be mixing it up with something else. We know how to monitor you, just leave it to us."_

"_Pneumonic. I'm not... your dear. I'm Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo... I'm not getting ARDS, and I don't want a sedative." That all came out in one breath, as Tony fought to stay in control. "I **have** got -" his voice broke off in a sudden loud cry of pain, and a four letter word._

"_What was -" the doctor's voice was cut off; Tony's was breathless, and furious._

"_A broken arm, which... you... just... aahh... shiiiiit..."_

"_I was trying to reassure him," the nurse said lamely, talking to the doctor rather than the patient. Hardly reassuring, Simon thought, and heaved himself off the bed. Grabbing the bag of saline from the stand, he lurched towards the next cubicle, as he heard the doctor saying, "This'll hold him." He dragged the curtain aside in time to see the syringe being removed from the canula in Tony's hand. The agent gave up his fierce struggling and fell limply back._

Simon's fists clenched and he forced them to relax. "She must have squeezed his arm. How stupid's that? They asked me if it was true about the Y. Pestis – I said I had no idea, but he was a federal agent, and he wouldn't lie about something like that, and why had they gone against his wishes. Damn, I wish I'd known... I could have put them right. Damn, Agent Gibbs, I'd have_ loved _to put them right! They repeated that he was probably concussed and 'not clear in his mind'."

He glared at Gibbs, having no-one else to glare at. The older marine just nodded encouragingly.

"I said I'd sit with him and keep an eye on him. They said that wouldn't be necessary. I said I'd stay anyway. They said I couldn't. I said why not – they just looked at me like they were calculating how quickly they could sedate_ me. _I needed to sit, my legs were going, so I let them shepherd me back to my cubicle. I heard them walking away. I think the nurse said something about out-of-towners, claiming to have the plague and claiming to be federal agents... The doctor said he'd have him moved up to x-ray, and to let him know when someone had tracked down our records."

He sighed angrily, and again, Gibbs simply waited, trying to reassure just by being there. "I live here, dammit... all they had to do was ask the name of my MD. I could have helped with Tony's information too. If they hadn't sedated him they could have asked _him_! Was just getting up to go to him again when someone came to take him. I came out here... no-one tried to stop me." He paused for breath.

"When did you last eat? Or drink?" Gibbs asked quietly. After hearing Simon's tale, he was boiling inside, and beginning to look forward to ripping somebody's ears off, but first things first.

"Had a coffee at FDA... before that," he thought, "yeah, it's been a long time since breakfast!"

"Ya still got my phone?"

Simon gave a rueful grin and fished it out of the pocket of the towelling robe. "Never let go of it!" He handed it over.

Gibbs stood, and clapped him on the shoulder. "Wait here, OK?"

The younger man looked at the pole and the almost-empty bag of saline. "Not going anywhere."

There had to be some vending machines somewhere... as Gibbs hunted, he hit speed dial.

"_Jethro -"_

"Ducky.. really need your help right now -"

"_Yes, Jethro, I understand... we're making the best time we can – I have to admit that Bradley's driving somewhat resembles your own – and we are doing our best, but we are still perhaps twenty minutes away. How is Anthony? And the other young man?" _

"You're on your way? And Dr. Pitt? How -"

"_Why, Timothy called, of course! I gather it was the first thing he did after regaining control of the situation... which I might add has only been partially explained to me... but it was Anthony, and the the possibility of drowning was mentioned, so I called Bradley to ask him to be on standby for his invaluable advice. I have to say I wasn't in the least surprised when he dropped what he was doing and came to pick me up. Be patient, Jethro, we're nearly there. Again, how is Anthony?"_

Nice work, McGee... Gibbs almost began to whack himself over the head thinking that he should have thought of Ducky, but at the time, he recalled, he'd been up to his knees in a river, and then he'd handed his cell over to Simon. He realised that since that point there was a gap in his knowledge. By the time he'd learned what he could, and explained what he knew so far to an increasingly angry medical examiner – _"Sedation was the last thing he needed – and before any proper examination was carried out – how can the patient assist if he's non-responsive? And really, depressing his central nervous system at a time like -" _"I know, Duck. Just hurry, huh?" – he'd tracked down coffee, of sorts, hot chocolate and a couple of packs of oat-cakes. As he got back to Simon Townley, he saw he'd been joined by a young lady with a note pad.

"... got all that then. I do apologise, Mr. Townley, as I said, they told me to get your information but they didn't tell me where to find you. I thought you'd be getting treatment, so I went to radiography first and then the plaster room, then round the wards... now I can send for your details right away – and your friend's." She hurried off.

Simon accepted the food and hot drink with a wry smile of thanks. As he began to eat, Gibbs said carefully, "You said Tony wasn't doing so well... d'you mean how they were treating him?"

"Partly. I don't know anything about medicine 'cept what I learned in the Corps... but it seems stupid to me to sedate someone when you've not finished examining them..."

"Help's on the way." Gibbs explained briefly.

"Competent help," Simon said. "Thank chr- heavens for that."

Gibbs looked at him. "What else?" his prompt was quiet, but insistent. Simon hesitated.

"It's where his head's at that worries me most."

Gibbs took a deep breath. OK... there was nothing he could do for Tony right now but wait for Ducky to arrive, and _listen_. "Go on."

"Did he ever tell you how Adam and I met him? No? Why does that not surprise me." He told Gibbs what had happened more than a year ago now, before the rescue at Belinda's Mill. "He understood. A couple of words, and I could see he did. He couldn't have helped better than he did... And all of that time, I had no idea he had issues of his own to deal with, because he hides things so well. He was ready in an instant to help a couple of strangers, and never gave a hint that he could do with a friend himself..."

The young Marine ran a hand through his hair. "I tried to be one. It wasn't just that I owed him... we got on well, we could have been real friends."

"Ya saying you're not?"

"Chance, as they say, would be a damn fine thing. We've talked on the phone. We've emailed. But almost every time we've tried to actually meet up, you've had a case, or your Director's wanted something. Didn't matter what day, what time we tried – he seemed to be working twenty-four seven. We hadn't actually seen him since way before Christmas. So this morning, when Mary calls me and says he's here, in Appelt, at the dam, me and Adam shoot over there, hoping to find him in a bit better shape than last time we saw him."

"But he wasn't."

"No, he wasn't." He frowned despairingly. "Up on that dam, when the sluice opened, he told me to get out. Go save Adam. I said 'what about you', he said he didn't matter. Couldn't figure it. Next thing is, we're floating down the river, having this weird conversation... he thought he was going to drown, and only decided he didn't want to when he got to the bottom of the river. I asked him if he'd wanted to die, and he said 'not that specific' – which I took to mean he hadn't cared one way or the other."

Gibbs sighed. "Yeah... In the end he would... care... DiNozzo's not a quitter."

"What's going on? In the ambulance he told me 'a girl'... told me to go out and get Mary, and swore it wasn't your fault." He looked him in the eyes. A year ago I wouldn't have believed him."

Gibbs winced. Ouch. "I've made my peace with him... seems you're still mad at me." _So's Sally Frame._

"I don't know... do I need to be?"

"I shoulda done more..." Gibbs looked into his empty coffee cup. "I told Sally it wasn't my story to tell. Told one of the team off on the way here for demanding details she wasn't entitled to unless Tony told her himself, and so far he's not been keen to... I can see I'm gonna have to say something." He told Simon just why and howTony had been working twenty-four seven, and how it had all blown up, literally. "I suspected what was going on. Should've told him I knew. Or told the Director to stuff it. Made her buy him a new Mustang, but that's kinda -"

He searched for the words, somehow he baulked at saying 'not going to mend a broken heart', and was surprised, and not, when the younger man understood.

"It's not going to mend the damage done to him. Why _didn't_ you do something?"

Gibbs shook his head. "Wasn't sure... was waiting for _him_ to come to _me_... hell, hindsight's easy. Yeah... I shoulda done _something_."

"You're gonna have to do something now."

"Yeah, guess I am."

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Thanks again to all reviewers who weren't logged in... and I really should have recognised the Chief's work in that one particular analysis of Gibbs!**

**I was thinking I might get a torrent of 'real doctors and nurses don't behave like that', and I must say I've never met one who did - _and _it's the second time DiNozzo's luck's had him falling victim to such a fate in one of my tales... no excuse, like writing about hydrodynamics. I just wanted to!**

Cowboy Tony Rides Again

Chapter 10

"I'm gonna go find him," Gibbs said after a while. "Ya be all right here until I get back?"

"I'll come with you." He saw Gibbs' hesitation. "It's OK, I'll leave you both to it... I just want to know how he's doing." He began to tug at the tape holding the canula in his hand.

"Leave it a minute," Gibbs said quietly. What the hell was it about DiNozzo, that had this effect on everyone he met? He looked around, then fetched a couple of tissues from a box at the unmanned nurses' station. With a gentleness that astonished Simon, he removed the needle, and pressed down on the puncture with the folded tissues. After a moment or two he said "Let's go, then," and put his hand under the other Marine's elbow to help him to his feet. Simple to help, he thought ruefully. DiNozzo would have passed out from shock, _(DiNozzos don't pass out, Boss...) _if he'd ever done that for him. Their tough-love relationship worked, didn't it? Did it? Gonna have to bite the bullet and do somethin' different, Jethro.

"We were through here," Simon said, pushing open one of the double doors he'd wandered through, unchallenged, half an hour ago. He really didn't know what made him drop his voice to a whisper, but it turned out to be the right thing to do. "I was in there, Tony was in -" as he idly twitched the curtain away he stopped in astonishment. Tony was back in the cubicle, still sedated, with an oxygen mask, and a bright, white cast on his right forearm – a forearm that was laid, in its sling, across his ribs. If he _was_ having breathing problems, that was _such _a help, Gibbs thought. Simon must have thought so too, as he opened his mouth to protest, but Gibbs suddenly made an urgent shushing gesture.

There were voices down the corridor, raised in enough agitation for them to hear clearly. Gibbs silently pulled his startled but unprotesting companion through the curtains into the empty cubicle next door. They waited.

"... some minor muscle damage from the broken end of the bone, that would have been very painful; we cast to above the elbow to immobilise the arm so it would be rested. Nothing came up on the skull pictures, that's fine. And considering his history, I was surprised to see nothing but some scarring on the lung x-rays."

"History?" That was Dr. Froome, rather sharply. "What history? And I didn't order a chest x-ray."

"Oh." The radiographer sounded surprised. "Well, his details came through, they're quite something, so I assumed you'd want that done. It's all here. We put him on oxygen just in case, by the way. Must get back."

Footsteps retreated, and a few moments after they'd died away, Dr. Froome swore.

"What is it, Doctor?"

Gibbs mouthed _'same two?'_ at Simon, who nodded. The doctor didn't answer, and there was a pause, while Nurse Kirton obviously looked for herself, as she gasped.

"He really has had the plague! I'll get some Flumazemil right away!"

"No."

"But... we should reverse the sedative -"

"And have him remember that we used it against his will? We'll keep him under a while longer, and if he remembers then we'll tell him he was confused. Give me some more Flurazepam in case he's coming out of it."

"More sedative? Doctor Froome, we _can't_ -" her voice went up into a soprano squeak.

"Nurse Kirton, are you questioning my instructions?"

"No, Doctor, of course not." The nurse sounded acutely anxious, but clearly didn't have the nerve to argue any further. The footsteps approached, and entered the cubicle where Tony slept.

"Damn," the doctor said, "his hand's underneath the cast." Gibbs' eyes widened – that hadn't been so a moment ago when they'd looked in. Sedated, flat on his back, the kid was still thinking on his feet; the lump that rose in Gibbs' throat took a lot of swallowing down. "Lift his arm, nurse, so I can get at that canula."

"Don't think so," Simon said cheerfully as he and Gibbs pushed their way through the curtain, to see the nurse with her hands up to her mouth, and the doctor standing almost theatrically with the syringe held up in mid-air. Nurse Kirton lowered her hands slowly with relief all over her face, but she couldn't think of anything to say.

For a moment there was a stunned silence, until a voice from the bed said lazily, and without the mask, which was round his neck, "Si... Great timing. Boss -" and only then, Gibbs noted with pride, did his eyes fly open. He looked up at him with absolute trust."I want out of here. Right now."

"You got it, son."

"McGee... Ziva... Mary and Adam -" he looked at Simon - "Doris...?"

"Everyone's fine. You did good... you all did good."

"You can't -" the doctor began, but Gibbs silenced him with a look.

"Giving medication to a patient who clearly states he doesn't want it and why not constitutes assault," he said in his most formal voice.

"He was confused," the doctor began again.

"No I wasn't."

"No he wasn't."

Tony and Simon spoke at the same moment.

"I was right next door, remember?" the Marine added, and the doctor looked a bit sick when he remembered the truth of that.

"You were about to commit assault for the second time," Gibbs went on, "and to intimidate the nurse into being your accomplice," Nurse Kirton began to look even more relieved, until Gibbs went on, "for the second time." He didn't feel guilty, it was a very brave nurse who went against conditioning and doctor's orders; he didn't think they'd be able to prove anything against her, and he _had _seen her relieved look, but he wasn't letting her off the hook until he had to. Nobody messed with his team... nobody messed with DiNozzo. Now he just had to let him know that.

He turned back to his second, and noted with satisfaction that the word that had slipped out unbidden had nevertheless registered with Tony. The younger man looked vaguely distracted. He'd back off from it slightly for now; there was more harm than good to be done by piling emotional baggage haphazardly onto someone who was already sinking under the weight of it. He reached through into the next cubicle and brought out a pillow.

"_He _–" jerking his thumb over his shoulder – "doesn't get near you again." As he went on speaking, he lifted his SFA's cast-encumbered arm and moved it very gently off his ribs and to the side, and Simon pushed the pillow underneath. The injured man smiled and gave a pleased sigh as the weight was eased. "But I want you to do something for me."

Tony's smile grew uncertain, but the trust was still there. "I got you, Boss."

"'Right now' is when Ducky's had a look at you. And Dr. Pitt. So we know exactly what 'right now' should be."

Tony's face fell, although he tried not to make anything of it. "OK, Boss... but it could be hours, and we don't know if Brad –"

"Yeah, we do, DiNozzo." He looked at his watch. "I figure they'll be here..." he listened, "about now."

The double doors swished quietly. "... but no, Bradley, that's certainly not the oddest incident with a glue gun than I've ever encountered... I'm sure you must have many tales yourself from your days as a young intern in an emergency room... we've all been there. Ah, here we are." Both doctors knew what had happened, and Ducky's penchant for the dramatic was not to be denied. "I see you're in safe hands, Anthony... How fortunate, Doctor, that you didn't need to give the Flumazamil, since the patient had already regained consciousness." He peered at the syringe, still in Dr. Froome's hand, and his voice grew magnificent. "Flurazepam? Am I to understand that you were about to administer _more_ sedative? Having learned of your previous mistake?"

"Wh – who are you?" was all the doctor could think of to say. He wished he hadn't.

"I am Doctor Donald Mallard, Special Agent DiNozzo's personal physician." The listeners heard every capital letter, including the ones that weren't actually there. "And this is Commander Bradley Pitt, Chief Consultant Physician in Communicable Diseases at the National Naval Medical Centre, Bethesda. We will take over Agent DiNozzo's treatment. NCIS will of course reimburse this hospital for the use of its facilities – you, sir, may expect to hear from our lawyers."

The doctor fled down the corridor.

Tony chuckled, and wondered when he'd last seriously felt like doing that. "Ducky, you're something else." Simon, who'd never seen the ME in action, nodded his totally entranced agreement – so did the nurse. "Now, please tell me I can get out of here?"

"The very first possible moment, dear boy. Jethro, perhaps you'd like to take Mr. Townley to get those nasty abrasions to his hands and face treated, while we just check Anthony over... are these the x-rays? Now..."

As Gibbs and Simon moved away, Nurse Kirton said tentatively, "I can do that... if you wish."

Simon looked at her, biting back a rude remark. He'd seen the relieved look too, and now saw beyond the intimidated mouse and the toothy, fading glamour, to someone who meant well. You didn't become a nurse unless you cared, he thought. And he still held that opinion about doctors... they'd just met the exception that proves the rule.

"OK, thanks," he said finally. They found another cubicle, well away from Tony's, and as the nurse worked carefully, Simon asked Gibbs, "How did you know Dr. Mallard was there? And how did Tony know you were?"

"Same way I knew Tony was awake... Go figure... it's what we do. And you've already worked a few things out today... I'll give you one. Dr. Pitt drives an AC Cobra... no mistaking the sound. I heard it."

Simon thought. "The hand under the cast. And..." this took him longer, but then he smiled. "I spoke, you didn't... but if I was talking to somebody it had to be you. He has a helluva lot of faith in you."

"Yeah... and before you ask, I've already started workin' on things." He was glad to be spared the need to say more by Nurse Kirton asking if Simon had any more injuries, and they sat in silence while she dressed a scrape on the back of his shoulder. Gibbs mused that if it was difficult to talk _to_ Tony, it was harder yet to talk about him...

In the end the nurse was finished, and Simon thanked her. As he stood up to go, she said unhappily, "The first time, I thought Dr. Froome was doing the right thing. The second time I knew he wasn't. I'm glad you were there... I'll never forget today." She hurried away, with tears starting, before either man could say anything.

They made their way back to the waiting room, and Simon stopped, thunderstruck, in the doorway. The place was overflowing. Gibbs smirked, not a bit surprised.

In the moment before his son launched himself at him, Simon saw the rest of Gibbs' team, a tall, good looking girl with a rather different, but definitely stylish mode of dress, Amos and Sally Frame, Ty Frodsham and Scot Milner, Mary, and a balding man whose air of hard-nosed capability reminded him of Gibbs, and marked him out as FBI. There was Mary, of course,who hung back and let Adam greet his Dad first.

All eyes turned to Gibbs; he felt like the guy who gives out the result of the Presidential Election, and answered the unspoken question. "He's fine, like he'd say. Ducky and Dr. Pitt are checking him over, then we're out of here." Abby began to say something else, but he soothed her. "His lungs are fine, Abs."

"Indeed they are," Ducky said from behind them. "He has multiple abrasions and bruising; from the shape of some of them I'd venture to say that the famous piece of timber travelled down the dam with him, and used him to cushion itself from injury... He also has a simple fracture of the right fore-arm, and he's very tired. But apart from that, he's doing very well. He wants to leave now, but there _is_ a problem." There was a murmur of alarm, but Ducky loved an audience. "He has no clothes."

That wasn't a problem, Sally had it covered. Gibbs squeezed her shoulder. "You take them to him, Ms. Frame... see for yourself."

"Thanks..." she gave him an anxious, searching look.

"I've started. I'm workin' on it."

Ty left, after giving Simon the keys to his Denali. "We brought it down from New Dam – thought you might forget where you'd put it."

Scott Milner left, satisfied that the terrifying day had finally ended well enough, and thankful for his wife's good sense. If he'd gone up to the dam that night, maybe he'd be on the dark side right now. He'd take her for a vacation... pay for his extra water and be grateful...

Fornell, who'd been trying to look as if he'd only come to take Mary and Adam's statements, said "Got work to do, tell DiNutso he did well, I already told those two," nodding at Tim and Ziva, and left too.

Ducky insisted on taking Simon to check him over, "Since it doesn't sound as if it was done properly the first time," and Mary and Adam insisted on going too. While they were gone, Brad drew Gibbs to one side.

"Thanks for comin', Dr. Pitt... long journey to say a man's fine."

"We needed to know we could say it, Gibbs. So I needed to be here. Ducky's right, though, he's come through this surprisingly well physically. But he needs one thing more than anything else right now, and that's peace and quiet. You know better than I do where Tony's head is right now. Whatever he says to the contrary about getting back to DC and how he can still do desk work, no. If you can fix it, and I don't mean I want him to stay _here,_ he shouldn't even make the journey back to DC until he's had a good twelve hours sleep."

"I gotcha, Doc. Got it covered." And he had.

Sally came back, with Simon and Tony trooping behind. Mary was holding Simon up, because Adam had suggested that his Dad needed it, and he was manfully supporting Tony, who was trying to look as if he didn't need to prop himself up on a nine-year-old. Sally nodded to Amos, who shot her a 'received and understood' glance back. "We owe you all," he told them, and the Frames hurried away.

The three NCIS crew, who'd been restrained and patient, leapt up, but then restrained themselves. The group hug was gentle.

"I've not heard the whole story yet... but you did good, I know that much."

"So did you, Tony," Abby said, quietly for her. "Hey... when everyone's up to it, we'll have to have a dam-rescue party, where we all get together and tell the story, fill in each other's gaps... but not yet..."

"Soon, Abs," Tony murmured, but he knew she was right. Not yet.

Gibbs came over. "You three, go on back to DC, it's been a long day, get some rest. Even Fornell says you two did good. I'll bring Tony back in his car tomorrow. Doc says he's got to sleep now." He put it quietly, as an instruction, but it brooked no argument, and they left soon afterwards.

"You can both come back to our place to sleep," Adam said, but Gibbs shook his head.

"Thanks, Adam," he said, "Appreciate it, but I got a place for him." He took off his NCIS hat and put it on the boy's head. "I'll look after him. You did good, young hero."

"You got a place for me?" Tony asked as they walked out to his Mustang. He switched directions in mid stride as he realised he wasn't going to be driving, and nearly fell over with the effort. Gibbs opened the door and steadied him with a careful hand under his cast elbow as he got into the car, and waited for some sort of reaction, but there wasn't even a surprised glance.

Tony was wondering when Gibbs had had the time to recline the passenger seat, and although he felt the grasp of his elbow, he couldn't find enough spare brain to process it. He lay in the soft leather seat, turning over that light touch, and 'you got it, son' in his mind, and 'deep down underneath he cares... but he ain't going to change the top layers... how he does things... for anyone'...

Maybe he _was_... changing the top layers... if it wasn't wishful thinking. But if it was, if Gibbs couldn't help, he didn't know where he was going from here. Today he'd been instrumental in saving _thousands_ of lives... shouldn't it give some value to his? Hadn't he been a decent man before he betrayed Jeanne? Didn't his life have value then? Before he made it worthless... Something had ignited that spark at the bottom of the river... could he even tell Gibbs about that? Boss, I thought about _dying_... You want him to help you, you can't conceal things from him. 'You got it, _son._'

The Mustang rolled to a stop, and Tony knew where they were without opening his eyes. Grass... leather... hay... horse... He looked at Gibbs. "You got a place for me."

"Come on," the Boss said quietly. He walked round the car, and reached a hand down to pull Tony up out of that enfolding bucket of a seat.

"Do the Frames know we're coming?"

"Sally's a smart woman. Didn't have to ask."

A solitary low lamp burned by the tack-room; Doris's top door was open, and she was already looking out, ears pricked. As she huffed her usual welcome, Tony looped an arm over her neck, and stood for a long time with his face buried in her mane. Gibbs waited, with the infinite patience he was famed for not displaying, until he stepped away again. Tony's face was wet with tears.

_'DiNozzos don't cry.' _Well, Gibbs thought, this one did, at last, and it was a start. He touched his SFA's elbow again to remind him they were going somewhere, and they made their way round to the back door. "Go on," he urged, and virtually pushed the younger man up the stairs ahead of him.

Sally and Amos had been busy. A coffee machine and fixings had been set up in the corner, with a bowl of fruit and a whole box of cereal bars. An extra mattress and blankets had been laid out alongside Tony's cot, and in the middle of the bed sat his Clint hat. How that had been found and returned, Tony had no idea, but he slumped down on his bed, sitting with his back against the wall, turning it in his hands, gripping awkwardly with the tips of his right hand fingers emerging from the cast. Gibbs could still see the glint of tears in the dim light, but Tony fisted them away as soon as he saw the Boss looking at them.

Gibbs sat opposite him on the other mattress. "Tony..."

"Not your fault, Boss. My fault."

"Gonna put it right, whether it is or not."

Tony looked at him for a long time. "I can't... the last year... no... eighteen months..." he banged his head back against the wall, screwed his eyes shut and forced it out through his teeth; "Never again. Please God, never again... next time it'll kill me."

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: First of all, thanks for reading and reviewing the bit of fun Veeps and I had at the weekend. If you haven't read it, it's 'Working On It', on VanishingP2000's account.**

**Rather wordy Gibbs... hope you like him. More in the next chapter – he ain't finished yet...**

**And apologies for slow update... you'd think I'd have more time not less in the school hols!**

**And Binky – here we go posing on the same day AGAIN!**

Cowboy Tony Rides Again

Chapter 11

For a few moments there was silence, while Gibbs' heart crashed painfully in his chest as he sat watching Tony. He took a breath to tell him again that he was going to fix it; (he was sure he'd been heard, but the lack of reaction said it was one more thing to process,) when the younger man's eyes snapped open again, and he plastered on that war-paint travesty of a smile that Gibbs was absolutely sick of seeing.

"Must be in a state if I'm calling on the Almighty, huh, Boss? Hey, just forget I said anything... it's been a long day, I should just -"

A hand gripped his upper arm, and shook him slightly, and Gibbs said quietly, but with just about the most intensity Tony had ever heard, "Don't."

"D – don't?"

"Uh-huh. Don't." Gibbs reached for the coffee pot, poured some into a mug, and added creamer and lots of sugar, then wrapped his SFA's hand round it. Tony watched bemusedly, but made no attempt to drink it. His Boss tore open a cereal bar, broke off a small piece, and held it up to his mouth as if he were a child, and he opened up without thinking.

As he chewed, Gibbs went on, "Today... up at the dam... the river had risen and I couldn't see either of you any more. Figured you were in the water... had no idea where. That hoss of yours... she came barrelling down the track, fast as the water. She was following you, Tony. When she saw me, she stopped... came to me... she was trembling all over, but she trusted me. I trusted her to find you, when she did, _she _trusted _me_ to do something. When I urged her into the river, she didn't hesitate. Listen to me... however odd it sounds – for the love of you, she trusted me and waded into that water... stood there like a rock. She was steadfast... if _she_ could trust me to save you, what's wrong with you doing the same?"

"Boss... I didn't mean I was -"

"Suicidal? I know. Townley told me what you said. About the bottom of the river, and not caring..."

"Aw, Boss -"

"Do _not _try to make out he shouldn't'a told me. So... starting to care again and being too late... hmm?"

"Not a quitter, Boss... but -"

"I know that too. Doris isn't the only one that's steadfast."

"Boss?" Tony sounded bewildered.

"You did everything that was asked of you... by the Director... and I should'a seen that sooner and done something."

"It's okay, Boss, you didn't know -"

"Tony. You've never let me this close before. Not even over Wendy. Seen ya rage... punch the wall... never seen tears. Don't try to shut me out now. Ya don't want to – what the hell makes ya think ya need to?"

Tony's head bowed almost to his drawn up knees. Gibbs took the mug of coffee from his hand and put it down on the floor.

"What do you want me to – no... comin' out wrong... I mean, where do I start, Boss?"

"Anywhere you like."

"They all leave, Boss... I'm a curse on them... Wendy – never knew why, didn't know I'd done anything wrong... maybe I was immature, I don't _know_!"

"I could never figure that either... but it was _after_ that you put up your clown mask. I was there, remember."

"Never forgot. You got me through it." After a pause he added bitterly, "Least she's not _dead_."

"Who else left?" Gibbs' voice was soft and very cautious. "Ya talking Kate, Tony?" As if he didn't know.

The younger man looked up again. "Yeah," he said hollowly. He thought for a minute. "She asked me if I thought she was attractive. I said 'oh yeah'. So she asked why I never tried it on with her... I told her she knew me too well. But that was easier than telling her I respected her. More. Got me wondering if she actually did like me... cuz I liked her, Boss. Made me wonder... well, hell, I heard her telling McGee that in a different world she could see herself married to someone like me, and I just started to think... turned out she and McGoo were joking, she didn't think that at all, but hell, the next day she died so it was all pretty irrelevant. Why am I even thinking this? I put it out of my mind years ago... never forgot her though... never will forget my Katie."

Gibbs made a soft noise of agreement in his throat, and waited. Well, he'd just thought he knew all about it. He'd been wrong. He'd come in on the end of that conversation, and could see the scene now as clearly as he had that day. No, they'd never forget Katie... but he'd had no idea what was going through Tony's mind then. His throat clenched up inside, and he squeezed Tony's arm again. Somewhere in the yard a horse whuffed and stamped; Tony smiled slightly, so Gibbs knew who it must be.

"Still got Doris."

"Never to be underestimated. You said all. Paula?"

"Mmm. We were never serious... she didn't want to be. Me? I might have... maybe. We were players – her word – but yeah, I respected her too. And she's dead too. You know what, Boss? She was the one who told me life's too short not to tell someone you love them... told her I couldn't tell Jeanne – Jeanne kept telling me I had to... it used to stick in my throat because I knew in the end... saying it'd just make things worse." he dropped his head on his knees again, then jerked it up. "But I _did_ love her... I _do_ love her... I went straight round there that night and told her so, even though I knew... was never going to be real."

Gibbs pushed the coffee and cereal bar at him, but gently, and he ate and drank a little, obligingly, then forgot about them again. For a while, neither man spoke, DiNozzo too flattened by what he'd said so far, and thinking that continuing was going to be like a mountain he knew he had to climb; Gibbs wondering how to ask two questions. _You said you'd talk, Jethro. _He bit the bullet.

"Wanna go back a bit, Tony..." he waited for his second's weary nod of permission. "You said the last eighteen months. That's round when I went – took my break. Sally wanted to know why you – I quote – had been hiding that you were in pieces, ever since she'd known you. Which was about then. I... kinda thought... we were OK on that now? Are you still carryin' that? I mean... I saw this morning you were pleased that I'd come, that we'd come... or I thought so -"

"_Boss!_ Told you this isn't your fault. Slip of the tongue, OK? Sure, it started then, but we made our peace, didn't we? It's just... you get over one hurdle, think you're clear... start to straighten your back – stick your chin out and you get hit again, you know? Keep on sucking it up... Never known a time like it for that... had enough."

"So you find yourself at the bottom of a river not caring if you live or die?"

Tony met his Boss's eyes for the first time. "Only for a moment. Running out of oxygen... thought I could hear her... see her... telling me what a lying bastard I was, and to just let go and die. Almost did, changed my mind."

"You said it. You're not a quitter. Never were." He frowned at the expression on Tony's face. "Hey!What ya thinking?"

"Nothing I haven't thought before." Gibbs just looked at him, until he took a step onto the mountain. "O-Kay... Lying shit, heart breaker... clown... Broke her heart... Can't find her... she's out there somewhere, and the way she's feeling is my fault. I want to put it right... but I can't. It's... " the mountain towered above him... "it's unbearable. I can't bear it. Hey! I've said it. And I'll just have to, I deserve it. This time, it's my own freakin' stupid fault. How do I deal with this, Boss?"

He leaned back against the wall, eyes closed as he'd done before, head twisting from side to side. Gibbs could hardly bear to look at him; even in the dim ambient light that seeped in from the yard, the rawness in every chiselled plane of his face was clear and painful to see. _And I've still not asked my second question... _"We'll get there," he said with a steadiness he didn't feel. "Tony, _why_ didn't you come to me?"

The younger man's head twisted again. "Ah, Boss..." he said without opening his eyes. He let out a long breath. "D'you_ really _want to go there?"

"Didn't _think_ I was goin' to like the answer. Still need to know."

Tony opened his eyes, and picked up the coffee cup, more to have something to fiddle with than for the now tepid drink. "Kay... I guess at first it was the same reason you never came to me... we were alien creatures to each other. You didn't really remember me, and you were permanently mad at me. Nobody but the Director thought I could even pull up my own zipper, so I was happy to work for her, even though it made you mad – the errand boy thing... I was a tart for a few words of praise. Look, we've dealt with all this..."

"Say it anyway, then you'll never have to say it again."

"I wondered if you were waiting for me or Jenny to say something..."

"I was. But in the end I could see you couldn't, and yes, I should have_ made_ her."

"Ah... By the time things got a bit more normal, I was in deep. I knew if I told you, you'd make her stop. And I'd lose Jeanne. And..."

"And?"

"That day you all listened to me fixing to move in with Jeanne – I really _did_ try to say something... you said 'I know'. I thought you were maybe telling me you did, and I wondered what'd happen next."

"Ack, Tony... I was trying to tell you I understood it's hard to do our job and have a life outside of it... I should have done something..."

"Not your fault, Boss. Told you." He put the cup down again. "You mean it that I'll never have to say any of this again, right?"

"I mean it." Gibbs felt as exhausted as Tony looked, but he was going to see this through, and he was going to do what he said he would. _Jeanne kept telling me I had to... _One thought led to another, and he had the glimmer of an idea. "Tell me about her. About you and her." His heart knocked at his ribs as his SFA gave him the same look he'd given him in the hospital; curious, puzzled, but still trusting. He nodded thoughtfully and began to talk.

Gibbs listened carefully; he smiled ruefully when he was told how Jeanne had had to suggest sex. Tony made some comment about that being a surprise, but no, not to his Boss it wasn't. The kid had principles, even if he couldn't see it himself. The alarm bells first rang when he spoke of his nerves at meeting her mother – Jeanne had insisted. It seemed that at every significant point in Tony's narrative, Jeanne had demanded something, and ultimately he'd capitulated, right up to agreeing to look at a house to _buy. _

_It was crazy, Tony. If you hadn't been in love and under pressure from all sides, you'd have seen it. I should have **done** something._

"I know what you're thinking, Boss. Ziva said I didn't think it through... I thought of nothing else. Stood outside Jeanne's door desperately wondering how I could stop it from 'ending badly'," he made quote signs at the triteness of it all, "when all the time I knew it would."

Should have known better than to assume with DiNozzo. "So tell me what happened that day."

"We drove away from the explosion, and kept going for a while to see if we were being tailed. Jeanne was asking what had happened, why would anyone want to blow up my car... her father suggested he should give us some privacy to talk."

Tony frowned as he recalled it, and went on, "It sounds crazy, but I got the impression that he'd have been happy if I could have convinced Jeanne to forgive me on the spot. We stopped at a park and I took her to sit on a bench; he actually stayed out of earshot and his driver kept guard. Jeanne was upset, course she was; what with what happened in the hospital and then the car, my cover was well blown. I asked her to tell me she loved me. She said she did, but kind of in passing, while she asked me who I really was. I told her. I told her the important things were still true; she asked what she'd done... I told her she should ask her father. We got back into the car, she was glaring at me... I tried to say something, so did Rene, but she just told us both she didn't want to hear it. The Frog gave me the famous 'Help!' message to give NCIS, and no-one said another word. We drove around for ages until we stopped near the gates, when Jeanne told me she'd speak to me next day when she'd calmed down. They drove off, that was the last time I saw her."

"And when you went to her apartment, she'd gone."

"Yeah."

"What did the note say?"

"That she wasn't coming back and I had to choose."

"Just that?" Tony nodded. "Odd thing to say... choose between what and what?"

The younger man shrugged, and his mouth twisted scornfully. Not the first time he'd wondered that, then. "Between a cardboard cut-out professor, and a life full of agents who hunt the likes of her father down. What's to choose? She didn't know."

Now was the time; Gibbs dropped his bombshell. "She didn't _care_, Tony."

For a few seconds Tony neither moved nor spoke, unless his mouth dropping open and a sharp intake of breath could be counted. Gibbs read the expressions that flickered across his face with complete accuracy and no surprise.

_Wha-a-a... The Boss never opens his mouth for weeks at a time... and then when he does, he talks out of his – Get on with it, Jethro, you swore you would._

"Know what I'm saying, son. Hear me out."

"Kay..." almost choked out.

"Not saying she's heartless. She sounds like a competent, caring doctor – that young junkie proved that. Beautiful, well educated girl, fine finishing school in Switzerland I should think, courtesy of Papa's millions. Used to getting her own way. Decides what she wants early in life, and Papa denies her nothing. She meets a man designed to appeal to her, thanks to Jenny choosing well. Looks, brains, poise, don't look at me like that, DiNozzo... you've got it, and when you need to use it, you do. Money, career... and he likes her. Decision made. He's hers, and she sets out to make sure."

"I don't understand."

"Example. You'd been up all night and all day on a case. She wanted to go dancing. You went dancing. She wanted a physical relationship – and there you were trying to behave like a gentleman. She wanted sex, she got it. She wanted to be told you loved her... and she pushed until she got that. She wanted you to meet her mother... you met her mother. Live together – the words were no sooner out of your mouth than she was ready to take you shopping for drapes."

"Well... yeah, she was keen... but I didn't try to stop her, Boss."

"You tried to. To slow things down. But every new thing you gave in on, she immediately upped the stakes. Don't tell me I'm wrong."

"But... that sounds like she _does_ care. She _did_ love me, Boss." _(__**Please **__don't tell me she didn't.)_

What was it Sally said about a Labrador? Gibbs was not under any circumstances going to hug another guy, and it felt downright weird that he wanted to, but there was a reason he'd been thinking 'kid' and saying 'son'. He settled for grasping his SFA's upper arm like before.

"Tony," he said gently, "As long as you were giving her what she wanted, she adored you. Tell me, who did she think of when things went wrong?"

That got through, and Gibbs felt like a heel, as the younger man's shoulders slumped. Cruel to be kind... He transferred his hand to the back of Tony's neck as his head bowed forwards again, and kept the grounding touch there until he lifted it again. The green eyes met his, and they were full of turmoil, but his voice was steady. "Have to say, Boss, I've never thought of it like that, but you're right. She... she'd have left me an address, not an ultimatum if she thought I was -"

Feeling his anger flaring, Gibbs got in before he could finish. "DiNozzo, if you say anything so stupid as 'if you were worth loving', I'll get Doris up here to kick some sense into you. And if that doesn't work I'll get Sally. She's expecting me to fix this, and I'm too scared of her not to. Jeanne wanted her house with her professor, roses round the door and one day a millionaire wedding – the bride's father pays, doesn't he - and when she found it wasn't like that she abandoned you, unless you were prepared to stay in the dream. And when she'd thought a bit more, she didn't even give you that chance."

He paused for breath. Tony was looking at him, stunned.

"Yeah, I can talk when I need to. So, did you hurt her deliberately? No. Would you have tried to put things right? You said you thought her father wanted you to try."

"You know that answer too, Boss."

"Good. We agree on that. They'd just tried to kill her, with you as collateral damage they didn't give a damn about – Kort made that plain. Maybe Papa would have been happy to have her under the protection of an agent, and the 'one agency he could trust'! She didn't give either of you the chance. Maybe it wouldn't have helped if you'd talked. With Papa on your side, maybe it would. Not sayin' you couldn't have done different – like telling me... But whatever state she's in now, however bad she's feeling, She. Put. Herself. There."

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Once again thank you to the people who reviewed but who weren't logged in.**

**This chapter was shaping up to be shorter than my usual... then I remembered Angel's idea about writing the 'Dam Rescue Party'. Thanks, Angel!**

Cowboy Tony Rides Again

Chapter 12

For long moments the loft was silent. Only the night sounds drifting in, the soft movements of the horses in their boxes, the sighing of the trees and the faint drone of an aircraft somewhere very high, hung in the air. Gibbs waited. Finally, Tony pushed his shoulders back against the wall and looked at his Boss. In the dim light there was the gleam of white teeth in a slight smile; the first positive thing there'd been from him all night.

"That's black and white, Boss," he said steadily. "You know it's not that simple."

"How so?" Gibbs raised an eyebrow and still waited calmly – inside he was almost ready to cheer.

"Oh yeah, Jeanne was pushy. I could see that. Don't think she even realised... but you have to remember I've been working with this pushy Boss, goin' on seven years now – pushes the envelope or my buttons... and yeah, I know why he does it. Anyway, I can tell pushy when I see it. Like you said, she knew what she wanted, and went for it. Nothing wrong with that..." He laughed. "Flattering!"

The older man looked down at his hands, braced himself, looked his SFA in the eye and said quietly, "Yes, she did. Know what she wanted. She didn't give the other guy the shove until she was sure of you."

That hit home, and Tony grimaced. "That's cold, Boss..." He thought for a while, but couldn't come up with anything to warm the thought. In the end he admitted, "I was jealous... didn't that tell her something? Like, that I cared? Anyhoos... if I'd really had the time I'd have resisted more, slowed things down; I can do that and still be charming... I couldn't, Jenny wanted results," he added darkly. "I _let_ her push – but I still think it meant she cared... " He paused as a new thought struck him. "You know, I told her I loved her when we were going back to Papa's limo. I told _him_ I loved her. In front of her. Think _he _believed me! But he'd always known who I was..." his voice was low pitched and wrung out with bewildered regret. "Why did he _do_ that to her, Boss? No wonder she went crazy! Sitting in that limo with two guys who'd lied to her... Only one she blamed though."

Gibbs winced. Things were sliding again. Tony went on bitterly, "Next time I meet Kort I'm going to black both his eyes... I couldn't blame her not believing me, Boss... if everything else was a lie. I told you, it's not simple."

"So why, when she'd thought about it, did she run away from you, not to you?"

"She thought I'd only slept with her to find out about her father... so you bet she didn't want anything more to do with me. "

Gibbs pointed out, "Then why the ultimatum?" Tony's eyes widened in confusion. The Marine went on as quietly as before, "If it'd been Shannon... if I'd been an undercover MP when we met,and she'd found out the truth like Jeanne did... she'd have blacked both _my_ eyes and then asked me what I was going to do about it. She loved me, so she'd have given me a chance."

"But Shannon loved you, not some alter ego. Boss, I... you... you care about me..." his voice faltered a little with embarrassment, "so you're on my side, and – and that's good – but it's shades of grey, you can't just blame Jeanne. She may have been pushy, and yeah, she kind of hedged her bets, but she was innocent."

Gibbs reached across and put two fingers alongside Tony's jaw. Blue eyes met green in the dim light. "I'd say... right answer."

Tony suddenly had the air of someone who'd been whacked over the head by a giant marshmallow. "What?" Gibbs said nothing. He transferred his grip to his SFA's shoulder, raised his eyebrows in question, and again, simply waited. "Ah," Tony said after a while. "Gotcha, Boss, I see what you're doing."

"Well, yeah, should hope so, DiNozzo, or I might as well have picked my SFA off the benches in Patterson Park. And Tony... the next word out of your mouth better not be 'but'."

Tony heaved a sigh from somewhere down in his battered soul. "OK, Boss. OK... I get it. If there are shades of grey for Jeanne... and they're pretty pale really... why can't I see them for me?"

"Wrong answer. You can see them. Start looking." Gibbs frowned, reading Tony's look. "That too much like those pity parties you despise so much?"

"Had all that in the water, Boss. Don't want to do it again. I don't do 'poor me'. I _shouldn't _do 'poor me'... been doing too much of it lately."

"I've not seen it. Kay... start by looking for _Jeanne._"

Tony nodded doubtfully. "_Ri-i-ight._.. Father who dealt in mega-death. Who spoiled her. Director's father who took a bribe – or didn't. Frog said yes, Jenny said no. Director's father who committed suicide. Director who became obsessional. Agent foolish enough to believe her when she said he was serving his country."

"Put that one in the grey area. Nothing wrong with serving your country. It's what the job's about."

"I thought we were talking about Jeanne?"

"Sure we are, but what's different for _you_? So... Boss who made the same mistake twice – thought because you didn't talk about it that you were fine handling everything else and working for me. Said 'I know' – when I didn't. I left you out on a limb – no back-up, no-one to go to for advice. Not saying I'd have been completely impartial, but don't tell me Jenny _was_. Result – you saw it through to the end and broke both your hearts – only later than it would have happened if I'd known what was going on. Because Tony, you were right – I _would_ have put an end to it. And you wouldn't have ended up exhausted, having guilt trips at the bottom of a river."

Tony went to wipe his right hand across his face, remembered he couldn't, and used his left. "And I'd have been mad, but hey... yeah, in the end I'd have seen you were right. And maybe I'd have found some way of ending it that didn't feel like betrayal."

"Thought we'd established that she wasn't the only one betrayed." Gibbs reminded him. There'd been a subtle change in the younger man's body language over the last few minutes, and his Boss was beginning to feel, at last, as if he were getting somewhere.

Tony smiled a little, but his desire to avoid any hint of a pity party stopped him from agreeing. Gibbs nodded; fair enough. "Tonight," he said slowly, "when Townley and I went back to the waiting room while Ducky and Dr. Pitt checked you over, there were..." he checked off the names of all the people he'd found there. "That's ten people, including Milner, a guy who arrived at the dam after we'd gone – still wanted to know how you were. You could say that he, and Mary and young Adam were there for Townley, but they'd still have stayed for you. Add Ducky and Brad, that's a lot of people all there on your account."

Tony chuckled a little. "_Tobias_ stayed?"

"Oh yeah. Tried to pretend he was just takin' statements. Think ya might weigh all those people's opinions against Jeanne's?"

"Maybe..."

"Tony... stil not completely convinced... I still think she loved the packaging and didn't see the man underneath._ They did_."

"They... well, some of them, they've known me longer. Closer..."

He realised just how foolish that remark was when Gibbs' eyebrows went up. The Boss said sardonically, "Oh, slept with all of them, have you?"

"Ah... stupid remark."

"Just a bit. But I'll grant you that she was innocent of all this. Don't say you weren't, you're an agent. It's your job and sometimes it sucks. And I'm still mad as hell at the Director, who hadn't called to see how you were last time I checked... maybe she called Ducky..." _Yeah, sure..._

Tony's voice was rough with tiredness."Don't care about that. You're here."

"Gonna tell ya a couple'a things, then you're gonna sleep. You're gonna take a week off, do some fairly gentle one-handed riding, Doris'll look after you – let Sally fuss a bit, do some sittin' by the range, and talk things over with her – for her sake, if not yours. Can't let a nice lady like that go on worrying. I'll come out and ride with you sometimes – gonna have to, cuz I can't get back to DC without takin' your car, and in the end you'll want it back –"

Tony thought of his lovely new Mustang in Gibbs' hands. "_Boss_!... Hey, fair enough."

"You're gonna get a bit of peace, and stay out of the way while I chew Madam Director out, and not come back to desk duty until Ducky says you can. Don't moan – you've not had a rest in a year, and she needs it made clear what she's done."

Tony gave a huff worthy of Doris, but nodded. "I'd love to be a fly on the wall for that!"

"Not a good idea. She's going to end up hating me... not going to take you there too."

"Kay... That's one thing. You said a couple." He began to feel uneasy. The Boss wasn't about to apologise, was he? He didn't have to do that... "Less you feel you've talked enough, of course, Boss... I mean, you'll have run out of words for the whole year –"

"So make the most of it." Gibbs held the younger man's gaze. "I didn't listen to my gut. Made the same mistake twice. Won't make it again, Tony. You need fighting for – any situation – anything – I'll fight for you. Believe that."

Tony believed. "I... I gotcha, Boss."

"Good. Now, ya should sleep. What's easiest? Where's the worst bruising?"

He thought Tony muttered "Mother hen..." as he helped him to lie down on his side, and put a spare pillow under his injured arm. By the time he pulled his shoes off and draped the blanket over him, the younger agent was smiling slightly as his breathing evened out. Gibbs sat silently for a while, feeling drained. He thought over the conversation and allowed himself to feel hopeful, then shook his head, and lay down on his own mattress.

Some time later, as the dim golden wash of the yard light began to merge with the first white light of dawn, Tony drifted up out of the depths of sleep, to a state of.. kind of neutral buoyancy, he thought vaguely. His right arm felt heavy, and he couldn't figure why. When he did, a wave of unwelcome memories began at the back of his mind and tried to surge forward; but one stronger thought kept it at bay. There was something else, a different weight on his arm, warmer than the cast, and he knew what it was before he cracked his eyes open. Gibbs slept soundly on the other cot, but his arm was stretched across, the hand curled lightly round Tony's biceps.

He regarded it for a few moments: he was safe. If he so much as stirred, his guardian would wake, so he didn't. He was smiling broadly as sleep pulled him back under.

NCISNCISNCIS

Although the warm Summer weather had faded, it was still pleasant enough to eat out of doors as long as they wrapped up well. "Perfect for the Dam Rescue Party," Abby had insisted, and they were all there, the rescuers... all except Fornell. "No, Jethro. I didn't do that much at the time, and I think he needs a break from my face just now." Gibbs had nodded thoughtfully and not argued.

They sat on blankets on a rocky outcrop that would have been below the level of the Old Dam if it had been full, and on the sandy beach around it, long dried out as the lake was almost empty. Only the old course of the river remained, meandering along at the deepest point, towards the outflow arch.

Scott Milner, and Deidre, the wife whose sense had prevented him from being caught up unwillingly in criminal activity, were unpacking food. (Scott's part in the rescue was known locally, he was something of a hero, and his business was thriving.) Doris and a couple of other horses, Amos and Sally's transport, had their own picnic, mowing the grass nearby.

General conversation and compliments on the food gave way to the filling in of gaps in people's knowledge, which had been Abby's intent; the trials were still pending, but Simon was amassing a wealth of information and inside knowledge for the moment when he _could print_ his sell-out edition. "Or maybe I'll write a book," he said happily.

The story had barely caused a ripple in the national media – businessmen had planned the collapse of a dam – and failed. "There'd be a helluva lot more interest if they'd succeeded and killed us all. Good news is no news. But the story _will _be told in the end."

Ty was describing the engineering processes involved in the rebuilding to a fascinated Ziva, who was curious about what she was seeing. She pointed over at where the base of the dam was exposed at the north end. A stone road had been constructed for heavy plant; softened rubble had been dug out and concrete piles were being driven in. "They are not going to knock the whole dam down and begin again?"

"No. Most of it's fine. They're just repairing the damage and making sure no more happens. That's how we wanted it, and what we recommended. It'll take another six months, they say, but we'll have a good dam when it's done."

Mary laughed. "That's the royal 'we'. They're actually listening to what Ty says these days, and they're going to re-site that outflow from New Dam according to his models."

"They'll have to," Joel added. "He's the Boss. Or will be in two weeks time."

Tim looked puzzled, remembering what Mary had said about the veteran engineer's lack of paper qualifications. Mary saw the look and laughed. "You know he's better at the job than I am. I told them to promote him on merit, and I'd help him through a postal degree. They agreed."

Ziva smiled. "That is wonderful Ty. Congratulations. What are you going to do, Mary?"

Again, Mary laughed. "I'm going to work for the 'News and Informer'." She and Simon exchanged a secret look that wasn't all that secret. "Maintenance man. Cub reporter. General dogsbody. Whatever."

Sally shaded her eyes to look over at where the machinery stood, closed down for the weekend. "We live the other side of the ridge," she said wonderingly, "so we only get to hear things by rumour, you know? It was only in the Summer that people were saying there was no money for all this."

Tony had been sitting, hunched up and somewhat withdrawn, and Gibbs had been looking for a way to snap him out of it, but Sally had go in ahead of him, this time without even realising it. The SFA straightened up and grinned. "Ah well... remember that day, beginning of September; I was still up here taking my week off..."

"_Tony, whereabouts are you?"_

"_Hey, Amos – crossing Belinda's Creek, 'bout half a mile above the mill. Is there a problem?"_

"_No, no problem, you want to make your way along the south west trail, and I'll meet you?"_

"_Sure. Any reason?"_

"_Not particularly... I'll tell you when I see you."_

_And he did. He came up the trail to meet him, riding Elmer, the short-sighted, good-natured mule. Alongside him was an even-tempered bay gelding called Jim... and – McGee. Tim looked quite comfortable aboard the tall horse, and Tony urged Doris into a slow canter down to meet them._

"_Hey! McMountie! What's this? You taking up the trail-riding life?"_

"_Got some news, Tony. Thought I'd drive over and surprise you – Gibbs said to check you were behaving yourself -"_

"_Gibbs would."_

"_But I wanted to tell you. Amos said this was the way to do it. Did some digging..." _

_Tony smiled. The young agent was practically wagging his tail. "Digging?"_

"_Yeah. Found an engineering report – well buried – that warned about the placing of the outflow from that pipe... the State went ahead with that design rather than an alternative because it was cheaper."_

Tony remembered the delight on Tim's face, and smiled. "It was dynamite. We passed the report on to Simon, who mentioned it to his Congressman, along with the fact that he was a journalist, and he got listened to." Tim looked modest.

"I sure did," Simon said gleefully. "He agreed that it had been the State's fault that Old Dam had been undermined. He came up here, looked at the system and agreed it was a very good one... Joel mentioned the environment, we spoke about balance... the next thing we know is, the funding's there." He took another bite of quiche, and sighed contentedly. "And long may your business thrive, Scotty." There were murmurs of happy agreement all round.

Gibbs wandered over to Tony, and dropped down beside him. "Ya OK?"

"Yeah, Boss... I'm getting there. Not often you get accused of murder twice by the same feds, huh? And by your ex girlfriend..."

"Fornell was invited tonight... stayed away because he thought you'd have had enough of him."

"Nah, Toby didn't have to do that. I'm fine."

"Just in case you were wonderin'..."

"Don't have to say it, Boss. You were there. If there'd been any fighting to do, you'd have done it. I know that."

"Good."

If Gibbs had been going to say anything else, he never got the chance.

"Tony... Amos says I can ride Jim. Now. Will you come with me?"

"Sure, Adam." He stood up. "It's kinda funny... you're the smallest rider, you get the biggest horse... Boss, the other horse is Jez... d'you fancy a ride down the lake? That OK, Amos?"

Amos waved a cheery hand in permission, and that was all Adam needed. He ran to the tall bay horse, and Tony lifted him into the saddle by the seat of his pants. The boy set off down onto the lake-bed beach, followed a few moments later by the two agents.

The other picnic makers watched them go at a sedate walk then a steady trot down to the far end of the lake, in the distance. The Frames grinned at each other; they knew what would happen when the horses turned. They also knew which horse they'd bet on. A wild rebel yell floated down from almost a mile away, as the three animals raced back, the thunder of their hooves growing louder. Tony was out in the lead – nope, there was no beating Doris if she didn't want to be beaten.

Amos put his arm round his wife's shoulders. "There now, Sass... Those two are just fine."

Sally didn't know whether he meant Tony and Doris or Tony and Gibbs. It didn't matter, she decided. "Oh yes," she said softly. "Cowboy Tony rides again."

**Done!**


End file.
